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About this Product
Dennis's Handmade Seashell Ornament Measures:
4" wide x 3-7/8" high x 1/2" depth
Porcelain edges are approximately 1/16" - 1/8" thick.
This Seashell Ornament is made with agateware pale blue and white porcelain twisted together to create a very pale marbled effect. The effect is very subtle. There is a stripe of blue, as well as a spot of blue near the hanging cord.
Additions to the ornament are a small scallop shell and a sea crab. The third small seashell is overgrazed with real 22 carat gold. One 22 carat gold sand dollar attached to the hanging ring on top.
A ribbon hanging cord looped through a split metal O ring.
(Please see "How It's Made" section for press mold construction information).
Please Note - Some ornaments have hanging ribbon, and some have braided cord.
Some ornaments are rounder than others, depending on which seashell we used to make the plaster mold.
NO Dishwasher, as this will wear away the gold finish.
NO microwave, as this is really 22 carat gold. Not that you would place an ornament in the microwave.
Press molded and hand glazed by Dennis.
Colored Standard 365 Porcelain Clay.
Glazed with dinnerware safe, lead free glazes
Kiln fired to cone 6 (2232 degrees Fahrenheit)
Dennis's initials with happy face carved on the back side.
TrompPottery
Meet the Maker
Teresa Tromp
Dennis Tromp
My son, Dennis, and I create Colored Porcelain, Functional Pottery on the potter's wheel, and/or handbuild using slabs, coils or pressing clay into a plaster or bisque mold that we wheel-throw on the potter's wheel.
There are various Colored Porcelain Clay techniques we are constantly experimenting with.
Neriage - a wheel throwing technique which involves 2 or more colored porcelain clays, spun on the wheel, integrating the colors.
Nerikomi - a hand building technique piecing together different sections of colored porcelain design, and either forming a slab built vessel or a press molded vessel.
This is perhaps the most difficult colored porcelain clay technique, as cracks can occur at any stage of the process. (the unmentionables - cracks)
Mishima - this technique can be applied to handbuilt or wheel-thrown pottery. After the greenware (or raw) clay has stiffened to leather hard stage (not quite bone dry, but dryer than wet clay) a design is engraved into the clay. The grooves, or channels created during the engraving process, are filled with a colored slip (wet, colored clay). After this dries sufficiently, the excess slip is scraped off, leaving the surface of the pottery smooth and level.
Sgraffito - sgraffito is an Italian word meaning - to scratch. This colored porcelain clay technique is the opposite of mishima. A layer of slip (wet clay) is applied to the surface of the pottery, and then a design is carved into the wet slip. This etching reveals the color underneath the slip. With sgraffito, the design is not flush to the surface of the pottery; it is slightly raised, and the etched design does not get filled in.
Relief Carving - I enjoy carving colored porcelain clay with various flowers and sometimes leaves with a bas-relief, or low relief design..
We color all of our porcelain by hand to create one of a kind color combinations.
Selling our work helps inspire the journey.
Your purchase(s), not only allow us to pay for more pottery supplies, but they also motivate us to produce a greater finished product.
Thank you to all the people who have helped inspire us along the way.
How it’s Made
We made our own plaster molds from a couple of large scallop seashells.
These plaster molds were used to press colored porcelain clay, which we color ourselves, into the mold.
After sufficient drying time, the seashell pops out of the mold, and is ready for attachments. Dennis makes the smaller seashells from resin molds, and they are attached using colored porcelain slip (wet porcelain clay). Hole(s) for the hanging ribbon or braid are punched into the leather hard clay.
The small shells and sea critters are NOT hot glued on; they are fired in the hot kiln with the large seashell base.
After the initial bisque fire (1945ºF) a clear, lead free, dinnerware safe, glossy clear glaze is brushed on (usually 3 coats of the clear). The ornament is fired a second time to 2232ºF. (Cone6) After the second firing, the 22 carat gold is applied to desired shells, or sea critters, and in they go for a third firing. The third firing at 1319ºF creates the shiny gold surface on selected attachments.
Hanging rings are attached, and little gold charms are strung with the hanging ribbon or braided ribbon.
Some ornaments have satin ribbons, and some ornaments have braided cord, we braid ourselves.
Shop Policies
Processing Time:
Weather permitting, we ship between 1 to 3 business days from your order date.
Shipping Rate:
All of our handmade pottery ships FREE USPS PRIORITY. PRIORITY Shipping assures your delicate pottery arrives faster than other shipping methods. We do not ship anything faster than Priority.
Return Policy:
You may return your pottery to us within 14 days of its tracking number delivery. Customer is responsible for return shipping charges.
Shipping Pottery: When packing your pottery for shipping, I will always pad the box with plastic pillows, and recycled newspaper. Each item is wrapped in bubble wrap.
Care Instructions:
Most of our pottery is dishwasher, microwave and oven safe (up to 400ºF), however it is always best to handwash handmade pottery, especially if there is delicate carving on the vessel.
For oven use, we recommend placing in a cold oven and heating to 400°F maximum. Especially important is do not place it over an open flame or stove top. DO NOT place a frozen dish directly in the oven because it will cause an extreme temperature change and may crack the vessel.
My son, Dennis, and I want you to be happy with your pottery purchase from our home based pottery studio, here in North Carolina.
We are not production potters, and do not normally create more than two items that might resemble each other in appearance. All of our pottery is one of a kind, and not duplicated.
We do not accept custom orders at this time. HOWEVER, if there is something you'd like to see in our inventory, such as a particular flower or color, or color combination, it can be inspiring to our creative process.
