Class Idea: Make & Take Aromatherapy Clay Jewelry

Have you ever wanted to try making your own aromatherapy clay jewelry? When you make your own, you can customize it however you wish. The downside of making your own jewelry is that if you are only wanting to make one or two pieces, the cost for the materials may be more than the cost of buying the finished product (you can buy aromatherapy jewelry at AromaTools). So, here’s a fun idea that can help minimize the cost and allow you to make your own jewelry: host an essential oil jewelry make-and-take class!

  

Simply invite a few oil–loving friends or even potential oil lovers over for a fun night making clay jewelry. Have them bring a stamp or two and any ribbons or cord materials they may have; and if you are looking to share the costs, you can even ask them to bring a dollar or two for materials.

If you are inviting people who are new to essential oils, you may want to consider preparing a very short lesson about what essential oils are, how they are beneficial when used aromatically, and why aromatherapy jewelry is a great way to achieve these benefits. Present your lesson in the beginning before showing everyone the materials and how to make the jewelry. Then spend the rest of the time making clay pendants and beads, answering questions about essential oils, or simply enjoying the company of friends!

If you are doing this as a class or group activity, just follow steps 1–6 in the recipe below (until they need to air dry); and then let them take their pendants home and finish them on their own.

Here’s a simple breakdown of the process:

The best thing about making your own clay jewelry is that you can make something that is your style, in whatever color you wish, and with whatever design you desire. You can even make something a boy would love to carry around or have in his room! And, you aren’t limited to just jewelry. Even though necklace pendants are pretty popular, you can make charm bracelets, earrings, keychain pendants, car air fresheners, bathroom diffusers, etc. The possibilities are endless, so the hardest part is deciding what to make!

Aromatherapy Clay Jewelry

Time: 30–45 minutes active; 24–72 hours inactive | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• Air-dry white or terra-cotta clay (The Crayola Air-Dry brand works well.)
• Food coloring (optional; used for dying the white clay any color you desire)
• Rolling pin
• Cutout object (This can be a circular hairspray cap, small cookie cutters, or anything else to cut out the clay into the shape you desire. When making pendants for necklaces, you will want the size to be less than 1 1/4 inch in diameter. If you are making bracelets, you will want the size to be around 3/4 inch in diameter. Other stationary objects like bathroom diffusers can be larger.)
• Stamps (sized to fit the shape of your clay item)
• Chopstick or shish kebab stick (This is used to make a hole for the cord. It needs to be big enough to fit 2 strands of string through.)
• Wax paper
• Sand paper (Optional)
• Paints (Optional)
• Ribbon, string, cord, or other jewelry-making materials
• Essential oil(s)

Instructions:

1. Lay out a section of wax paper on a table to create your work station. This will help with cleanup and make it easier to roll out the clay and move the pieces.
2. Optional step: Take a glob of the clay and color it using food coloring if desired. (Note: The clay always dries to be a lighter color.) (*Helpful hint: to make sure the food coloring stays in the clay and doesn’t drip off, create a well in the top of the piece of clay with your finger, drop only 2 drops of coloring in the well at a time, fold the clay so it closes over the well opening, and then continue to knead the clay as normal. If it starts to feel dry, just add a few drops of water.)
3. Roll out the clay on the wax paper. You want it about 1/8–1/4 inch for pendants smaller than 1 1/4 inches. If you are creating larger pendant diffusers for a small room, you may want it to be thicker so it doesn’t break as easily.
4. Use your cutout object to cut out the pendants. With the remaining clay, you can form beads by rolling it into small pieces and poking a hole through them with the chopstick or other stick.
5. Stamp your design on the pendants, and poke a hole through each of them for the cord with the chopstick or other stick.
6. Transfer pendants and beads to a paper plate, and allow them to air dry for 2–3 days.
7. Once dry, you can sand rough edges with sandpaper, decorate with paint, and/or finish making them into a piece of jewelry.
8. When figuring out the length of cord you will need, position the cord around the wrist or neck to the length you desire. Then cut double the length you think you will need. (You can always cut more off if it ends up being too long. We have found that adding any beads or knots takes up more string than you think it will).
9. Put the ends together, creating a loop at the other end. String the pendant through the loop and the cut ends through the loop, securing the pendant in the middle before adding any beads.
10. If desired, a bead can be used to make a clasp for a necklace or bracelet by tying the bead to one side and making a loop big enough to go around the bead on the other side and securing it with a knot.
11. To use, simply place a drop of essential oil on the pendant, and rub the oil around. After a minute, the clay should have soaked up the oil and begun to diffuse. Reapply oil as the scent fades.

Let’s not forget that Mother’s Day is coming up; so think about all the great gifts this project could make for the special women in your life! It is so easy, even a kid could do it! In fact, this would be a great Mother’s Day gift from a child.