I was asked by Isolde de la Ramée to make a few beads for her that she could give as tokens of appreciation. She asked for beads that would be passable for a persona of the 12th century.
With the help of my friend and Laurel to whom I am apprenticed; Helewyse de Birkestad; I made some beads that could be placed on a cord and had laurel leaves impressed into the surface.
I created a two-piece mold to press the beads in such a way to allow for a pass-through opening.
The beads were made from a white, commercial stoneware clay that I use. They were glazed by placing a green glaze in the laurel leaf impression and then putting a clear glaze over the surface.
This image is of the beads in the bone-dry stage, just prior to the first (bisque/biscuit) firing.
This is the image the commissioner sent to use as a reference. I have no provenance for this image.
Working with Clay 