A warm, earthy ceramic medallion with soft terracotta and cream tones, suggesting hand-formed clay texture BHClaysmith

Hand-built ceramic art by Barbara Hanselman

A close view of hand-formed ceramic pendants and earrings in muted earth tones — soft greys, dusty blues, and warm clay browns — arranged on a weathered wooden surface

Ceramic Jewelry

Hand-formed pendants, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets — many incorporating vintage plate shards and mixed materials.

A stoneware bead necklace with grey and blue tones, accented by small metallic spacers, resting on a soft linen cloth

Wearable Clay

From stoneware beads to reversible pendants

Barbara Hanselman's ceramic jewelry transforms hand-built clay into pieces meant to be worn. Her work includes reversible ceramic pendants, wire-wrapped plaquettes, copper paddle earrings, and stoneware bead necklaces — each piece shaped, fired, and finished by hand.

Many designs incorporate vintage plate shards, including fragments from an English Enoch Woods "Castles" bowl sourced by Emily Cohen of Catfish Studio. These shards carry the patina and patterns of another era, set into hand-formed clay settings.

Findings are chosen with care: TierraCast hammered copper and silver-finished bails, earwires, and semi-precious stone accents complement the earthy character of the ceramic elements.

Signature Pieces

A close-up of a Blue Grey Gardens necklace — rounded stoneware beads in soft slate-blue and dove-grey, interspersed with Greek porcelain spacers

Blue Grey Gardens Necklace

Stoneware beads in layered grey-blue hues, strung with Greek porcelain spacers for a refined, understated look.

A wire-wrapped ceramic pendant with dried Virginia creeper vine wrapped in waxed linen, hanging against a neutral background

Virginia Creeper Wrapped Pendant

A hand-formed ceramic focal wrapped with dried Virginia creeper and waxed linen — organic materials meeting fired clay.

Copper paddle earrings with a warm metallic sheen, suspended from hammered copper earwires on a dark surface

Copper Paddle Earrings

Lightweight ceramic paddles paired with TierraCast hammered copper findings, balancing earthy texture with metallic warmth.

Vintage Plate Shard Jewelry

Broken shards of an antique English transferware bowl in deep aubergine and cream, with castle motifs visible on the curved fragments

Enoch Woods "Castles" Bowl

Some of Barbara's most distinctive jewelry incorporates shards from an English Enoch Woods "Castles" bowl, discovered and carefully broken by Emily Cohen of Catfish Studio. Each fragment preserves a piece of the bowl's pastoral transferware scene, framed in hand-formed earthenware or stoneware settings and finished with TierraCast silver or copper findings.

Explore More

Browse the gallery for additional ceramic jewelry pieces, or visit the shop page for retail availability.

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Each piece of ceramic jewelry begins as a single ball of clay, pressed and pinched into shape by hand before it ever meets the kiln. Barbara Hanselman's approach to wearable art is rooted in the same traditions as her studio pottery — hollow forms, carved details, and textured surfaces that invite the touch. From stoneware beads tumbled to a soft mat finish to pendant shards glazed in blues, copper accents, and terra sigillata, every necklace and earring carries the quiet character of something built, not manufactured. The vintage plate fragments woven into many designs add a layer of history, giving each piece a story that continues to unfold with each wearer who chooses to share it.