I spent much of this session’s Jewelry Fabrication class at the Maitland Art Center working on this necklace, and I’m really happy with how it turned out. I finally got to use this dichroic glass cabochon which I bought from a vendor at the Lake Eola Fiesta in the Park last year. I’m generally not a big fan of some of the dichroic glass that’s out there, but I liked how this one looked almost like an opal.
Making the chain was a challenge. I melted more than a few links in the process, but I felt really satisfied after completing it. I made all of the jump rings and the toggle clasp from sterling silver wire and cut, sawed and soldered sterling silver sheet and bezel wire to make the bezel setting.
Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
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.
