Bells with Speckled Clay

Yesterday I decided to take a detour into speckled clay and make more bells. Although this clay looks red now, it will fire to a light tan with tiny speckles in it. I've pressed leaves into the clay bells and stained them. A flat triangular piece will hang down below the bell interior and act as a sail to catch the wind and make the bell ring in light breezes.

Here's what all the parts look like while they are drying. Although bells seem simple things to make, they're actually quite a few parts needed to make them the way I envision them. Folks gave me several suggestions on how to fire the bells so the bottoms are glazed. One person suggested I fire the bells on a kiln post which I'll try next time. I just hope the bells don't stick to the post as it shrinks in the firing, especially with the conical ones. What do you think?

Although I was originally planning on using a wood clapper in the interior, one person said since the diameter of the bell isn't overly large a ceramic bead would do just fine. They also said a ceramic bead will make a nicer ring than a wooden bead. So I'll give that a try too. I'll also check my bead supply drawer and see if I have any beads I can use with the bells, like glass or others. I plan to put a clear glaze over these so the natural color of the clay shows through. Back to the studio. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.