Fancy those one-off pieces of jewellery that don’t cost the earth, but are made of earth? Then Janani Ravi’s two-day courses that teach you how to create terracotta ornaments would be right up your street.
The young Tiruchi-based homemaker, an MBA graduate, decided to pursue the craft in earnest after undergoing a two-day training workshop in December last year. “A Coimbatore-based company had offered the course, with the basic materials. I went out of curiosity and then got hooked on the craft, even though I didn’t get to learn much in the actual course (there were too many students). My husband helped me to research ideas on the internet and also to order customised tools and moulds from the local shops,” says Janani.
Janani is holding her courses at her Thillai Nagar-residence (only three to four students per batch), from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m, and fees are inclusive of art materials. She also offers to teach at home upon request.
Creating a set (a neckpiece with pendant and a pair of earrings) takes three days of work, says Janani. “Rather than the cost of my materials, I am charging for the time I have spent on the jewel,” she says.
Once the set is ready, the clay has to be ‘baked’. But don’t bring out your electric toaster/oven/grill yet. Instead, go for an earthen pot oven. “You can buy any earthen pot that is normally used for cooking, and make six holes in them for ventilation. Next, fill half the pot with umi (grain chaff), and moisten it with water,” suggests Janani.
“A regular-sized pot usually holds two jewellery sets. Cover the jewels with more moist umi and then place charcoal on top. Carefully light the coal (using a little kerosene), and ‘bake’ for two hours,” she says. The moisture in the chaff may lead to a slow flame, so having a table fan switched on nearby is essential.
Once done, the jewels turn into a dark maroon shade and are ready to be painted, preferably with non-reactive glossy acrylic paint. Janani recommends leaving the pot oven to cool down naturally before handling the jewels. “Very hot terracotta has a tendency to become brittle and breaks easily,” she says.
This is a good self-employment opportunity for young women with time on their hands, says Janani. “The initial expenses are not that high (the terracotta clay and accessory parts are easily available in the city’s costume jewellery stores), and it is a great outlet for creative people,” she says. Plus, you also get to use things lying around at home – PVC pipes, bottle lids and razor blades for example – as improvised tools and moulds.
As tastes evolve, more women prefer to team up formal silk saris with these customised terracotta pieces rather than pure gold ornaments, says Janani.
With future plans to reach out to more people through the craft and also to sell her own creations online, Janani Ravi has clearly got her jewel box full of projects.
