{"response":"{\"What is opus testaceum?

Opus testaceum is like making a special kind of clay sculpture that can be worn as jewelry or held in your hand.

Imagine you have a bag of colorful clay, and you use it to make tiny shapes, like little animals, flowers, or even mini versions of yourself. That’s what opus testaceum means: the art of making small, beautiful figures out of clay.

When someone makes an opus testaceum, they first shape the clay by hand, just like when you make a ball or a snake out of playdough. Then, they might paint it with bright colors, imagine using your finger to draw on your clay creature so it looks more alive.

Once it’s all done, the figure is baked in an oven (or sometimes left to dry in the sun), just like when you put your playdough creations in the oven to make them hard and shiny. After that, they can wear it as a pendant or keep it as a tiny treasure, something special they made with their own hands!