What Handmade Really Means in Ceramic Jewellery

The word handmade appears on a lot of jewellery. It can mean a piece assembled by hand from mass-produced components, or it can mean something formed entirely from raw materials by a single person from start to finish. Those are quite different things, and the difference is worth understanding.

What does handmade mean in ceramics?

In ceramic jewellery, handmade can mean a range of things, but usually it refers to an artist starting with raw clay. This may include preparing the clay (kneading), rolling the clay, adding surface texture, creating holes for hanging and finishing the piece so it’s ready to fire. Some artists work with liquid porcelain and ‘slip cast‘ multiples or small batches. After that a piece is often bisque fired then glazed by hand – with carefully considered layers of glaze in single or multiple combinations – before firing to the desired finish. Some artists use a single firing, others use multiple firings to layer different details onto a piece.

What does handmade mean in a jewellery studio?

In studios that work with metal, it usually extends to cutting, forming, filing and finishing metal sheet and wire. A combination of hand tools may be used such as hammers, pliers, files, drills, burrs and polishing tools. Pieces may be textured, shaped, and elements fused by soldering components together.

How are Meraki Fire ceramic jewellery pieces made?

Every piece at Meraki Fire starts with raw Australian clay, kneaded and rolled by hand, textured, shaped, holes cut and finished meticulously. Raw clay is then bisque fired, glazed by hand with a brush and fired again in my small studio. Sterling silver and gold filled components are cut from wire or sheet and worked by hand, shaped and finished individually for each piece. This helps to create pieces that are considered from start to finish, from the size of the ceramic to the right hoop or hook to showcase a piece, create movement or create a considered contrast through the metal tone and finish.

Doesn’t this take a long time?

Yes! A single pair of ceramic earrings at Meraki Fire involves two firings and multiple stages of forming and finishing both clay and metal. My production line is simply me, and although I have created some efficiencies in drying, glazing, firing and repeating metalwork, there are limited shortcuts. I love creating something beautiful with care, and rushing the process just takes the magic away for me.

There’s also a layer of knowledge embedded in creating like this, it eventually becomes second nature and fuels new ideas, processes and creativity. Understanding how a specific clay body behaves at different stages of drying, how it responds to texture, how a particular glaze will look after firing rather than before, which metals showcase a particular glaze, all of this takes time to develop. That knowledge is present in every finished piece, even when you cannot see it directly.

What to look for when buying handmade ceramic jewellery

It helps to look for makers who describe their process in specific terms. Are they transparent with their process? Do they have sustainable practices?

Are metal components also made by hand? Pre purchased is also perfectly ok, different makers will focus on different areas – ceramics is such a broad practice with incredible skill development in many different areas. The important question is how you connect to a piece and the maker behind it. Where does the artist source their materials? How do you feel about their studio practices?

I source my necklace chains and sterling silver studs and backs, and some jump rings from quality Australian jewellery suppliers. These are components that can be time consuming to make – especially a long necklace chain. However I always add something extra, whether that be work hardening a stud post so it’s strong or tightening a butterfly back for security in the ear.

Genuine hand-formed ceramic jewellery will carry slight natural variation between pieces. Shape, glaze tone, surface texture, proportions, these will differ subtly from one pair to the next. It is a reliable sign of something made by a person, developing their own unique style and craft.

Small batches and one-of-a-kind

All Meraki Fire ceramic jewellery is made in small batches or as one-of-a-kind. Small batch means a limited number of near-identical pieces made together in one batch, sharing the same clay, glaze, and firing. One-of-a-kind means a single piece that will not be repeated. Both are a deliberate choice to keep the work considered and the quantities limited. It takes more time than scaling up production. But it means every piece that leaves the studio has had proper attention at every stage.

Why it matters

Choosing handmade means choosing something made with care, by someone who thought about every part of it. It is also a small but meaningful push back against a culture that produces too much, too fast, and with too little thought for the consequences.

Meraki is a Greek word with no direct English translation. It describes doing something with soul, creativity, and love – leaving a piece of yourself in the work. When I came across it I felt it captured how it feels to create from the heart. It is why the studio is called what it is, and it is still the closest description I have for why I make.

Browse the full handmade ceramic jewellery range here.