...We make jewelry in all kinds of different ways. Our jewelry is made out of beads, embroidery floss, seeds, clay, slate, stones, shells. We knot bracelets out of floss with different colours and patterns, we bead bracelets, necklaces, purses, we make medallions out of slate, stones, clay...
...In the first years of the Wildlife Sanctuary and the selling of Art & Craft, Maya Centre Village was known as the CLAY BEAD CITY...
...Making a necklace out of clay takes much time and luck. We would try to find the clay on the ground of our creek. We have to rinse it a few times to try to get the pure clay without stones or sand in it...
...The clay needs to stay for two days in a bag before it can be moulded into beads and medallions. Three evenings we put the shaped beads on the comal (tortilla iron), after baking our tortillas...
...When the beads are dry enough, we put them for a night in the glow of the cooking fire...
...Next morning we hope that there are non-cracked beads, which would be the pure clay ones. We clean them from the ashes, so the clay beads and medallions are ready to go on the string, for a nice handmade necklace...
design and content copyright 2005 © laura brammer, yoya productions, except where otherwise noted