Holday Ornament - Mica and Horsehair Heart

Our ornaments are created using a clay that we designed to withstand the "shock and awe" of being placed into and removed from a kiln at 1300-1800 degree Fahrenheit. It's not every clay that can do that, so we designed one.

We pursued that effort so that we could create unique and beautiful ornaments that most potters can not. We think we've accomplished the unique and beautiful that we sought to capture.

The pieces are cast, finished before a mica infused liquid clay is applied. They are placed back into a kiln for firing and then removed and, while the piece is still hot and glowing, horsehair and sugar is applied to allow the color in the mica to be reveals. Curiously, it is the smoke from carbonizing that reveals the delicate glow from the color. You can read more about the process HERE.

Horsehair Schmorsehair...ours is unique. We have a friend,, John, who is a luthier. He repairs antique instruments. Part of his service is changing the horsehair on fiddle bows. Not violins. We call them fiddles as we play Irish music together. Many of the top Irish and Folk musicians in the region have their bows services by John. Because John specializes in antique instruments, some of instruments date to the 1800s. Even our horsehair has a story behind it.

Each of the ornaments is approximately 3 inches in dimension 

Because of the firing technique, each piece is one-of-a-kind and unlike any we have done before. What is mind boggling to us is that the process reveals the unique color of the pieces when they have horsehair laid upon the piece. The process has a slight delay in the reveal, sort of teasing the potter in that moment.