pencil urchin spine pendants

i've only recently discovered sea urchin spine jewelry-am i out of the loop?  where have these things been all my life??  i love the subtle color changes, and how varied the colors and textures can be on these spines.  you can do a simple google image search for some inspiration.

i thought one might be too lonely so i made three...the shape is fairly simple to achieve-mine are roughly pinkie finger sized.  texture is always a plus but the main focus is how you paint them.  i think these could be really cool with a more modern paint job (taped off lines with bright colors and such) but i tried to go for a more natural look, which was actually somewhat difficult.  i'm not even sure i achieved the look i was going for:/

i think the colors i used were a little too bright compared to real urchin spines and i wish i hadn't left a white band on all three but they still make for an interesting necklace.


be sure to view the whole mini series for more ideas on clay jewelry!!