Tuesday, January 12, 2010
I really want to make jewelry that's unique - not mass produced - something that can't be purchased on sale at a local department store. By practice and trial, I've learned a lot of things about metalwork over the past year. And I'm trying to put what I've learned into practice.
I made this setting a few weeks ago. The stone is prehnite, one of my favorites. The clean green color always reminds me of sun-drenched water from steams and ponds, and I wanted the setting to reflect that feeling.
I surrounded the stone with cattails. But the pendant was missing something. I thought long and hard about it. And then it came to me - a pond always has some water life around it!
I remembered a dragonfly stamp that I had seen and thought it would be perfect. It took a couple of weeks for me to get it, but I finally got it last night and stamped the design onto the pendant.
To complete the pendant, I offset it with some prehnite beads and a handmade toggle clasp, and finished the entire piece by antiquing it. I'm so happy with the results..
Overall, I think it has somewhat of an art deco look to it!
I have a lot of new pieces I've been working on and will be posting about them in my blog this week. Come back and check them out.
Do you want to subscribe to my blog by email? Click here!.
Would you like to be a Contrariwise follower? All you have to do is click on the link on the left in my side bar.
BTW, this was the first time I ever made a toggle! The only thing I didn't make on this necklace is the actual chain - but I oxidized it and polished it to bring out the detail of the links.
And remember, the necklace was complete BEFORE I stamped the dragonfly on it. Can you imagine how nervous I was! One slip and the entire necklace would have been ruined!