Sterling silver & copper dog tag necklace
I had a special request from a friend for a dog tag necklace, so I made one using a few new skills from my jewelry fabrication class. I tossed around a few different design ideas, but this is the final product.
The pendant is made from copper sheet riveted onto silver sheet. The copper pieces and the silver chain were a little too shiny, so I applied a patina to those parts and sanded the rest for a brushed finish. The darker patinas give it a heavier, more masculine feel.
Sterling silver & labradorite pendant
I’m happy with the way my labradorite pendant turned out. This is my first project bezel setting a stone completely from scratch in my jewelry fabrication class. I can’t wait to wear it, but I’m out of chain. Drat!
Sterling silver & copper pendant
I kept my pendant design for class relatively simple. It’s a round sterling silver pendant, approximately 1.5″ in diameter, which has a couple of sterling silver and copper dots and a small bezel cup soldered on. I had hoped to finish it earlier this week, but I still need to set the green chryoprase cabochon in the bezel, and I accidentally left the stone in class last Saturday.
Techniques used included cutting sterling silver sheet with metal snips, lots of filing, hammering the dots to flatten them out, soldering and sanding for a brushed finish. I love working with the soldering torch! The filing was a bit tedious, but if I don’t let myself get in too big of a hurry, it’s actually a soothing activity.
In class this weekend, I’ll begin creating a bezel to make a pendant with this lovely labradorite gemstone. At first glance there’s nothing special about this silvery-grey stone, but then the light hits it from certain angles, and beautiful iridescent flashes of blues, greens, yellows and a teeny bit of orange catch your eye, and you gain a whole new appreciation for its beauty.
