pendant – Page 4 – dianne karg baron

YOJ09-05 The Caged Heart Grows Cold

Posted on January 31, 2009February 20, 2011 by dianne

The Caged Heart Grows Cold or Portrait of the Artist circa 1998 (2009)
Bare copper, polymer coated copper, wool
Constructed, needle-felted
Pendant: L 7.5 cm x W 4.2 cm; Neckwire: L 45 cm

I’ve been debating with myself for three weeks about what and how much to write about this week’s entry. I made the felted heart in week 2, but then discovered that studio gremlins had made off with my copper wire… I finally found a small spool of it last week, so was able to start work on the project. The gremlins are refusing to let go of the rest, though, so this is the last copper piece I’m going to be making for the time being.

I spent a lot of time during my hiatus meditating on the direction I should go with my jewellery. Time and time again I’ve gotten the message that my jewellery needs to connect with the spirit, and express more of my inner voice.

So, my piece this week speaks from a very personal perspective. The very long story behind it is one that only my very closest friends have known about before now.

YOJ09-04 Swarovski Pendant

Posted on January 25, 2009 by dianne

This has been a busy week. I’ve been juggling a bunch of different projects, trying to wrap some up, get ahead on others. I’ve made some progress in my quest to figure out how to incorporate felting for a bonsai. Unfortunately, the avenue I’m following at the moment is very labour intensive.

Years ago, an acquaintance at the Gem & Mineral Club of Scarborough named Frank Hoffman commented that if you’re going to go to the effort of making a piece of jewellery, you should make it out of karat gold. His reasoning was that for the same labour you would be able to charge a much higher price, because of the perceived value of the gold. For this felted bonsai, I’m starting to think he made a good point.

Anyways… I made a pair of earrings this week, which are being given away as a birthday present, but I didn’t want to post those. So… here it is, Sunday night, and I need to post something.

About a year ago, a lady on CWJ, Nancy Van Tassell, was selling off some Swarovski gems. I bought a bunch. They’ve been sitting in my stash ever since. Recently, when I was cleaning up my bench, I discovered them again. So… with the clock ticking down, I decided to try my hand at a pendant. Since the gem has a deep back, I had to figure out how to set it without ending up with the point sticking out too much. I also didn’t want the pendant to look really heavy. So, the solution was to make an openworked bezel. It turned out okay, but I think it would have looked better in a thinner gauge of wire.

My eyesight is going… *gloom*… and I’m tired… and the pendant took forever to make… but hey, at least I got a piece done.

One for my collection :-)

Posted on December 19, 2007May 11, 2008 by dianne

Tis the season for making something for myself for a change. I won this ruby cab as part of the prize for winning a a tutorial writing contest on the IGWJA board. The cab is so large it almost qualifies as a hood ornament. LOL.

Again as part of easing myself back into doing work, I decided to try my hand at some netting. It’s really tricky to get the netting even, and as a first attempt, this pendant is all over the place. Then there are the added decorative beads in the last row. I have some delica-type beads in my stash that have enormous holes – perfect for the double threading the netting requires.

All in all, the result is a simple statement. It’s a very heavy pendant to wear. I strung it on a handmade chain I’d been working on over several of my beginner classes. I made the links from 24 ga square wire to show my students what can be done with a simple S-link chain.

The close up shot shows the netting (with slight kinking in the wire) and the bead detailing. I started work on a second netted pendant using some fabulous lava stone beads I bought in Bancroft last summer. I quickly discovered that there are a two of ways of putting these beads on and each gives a different look. More when I post that pendant…

I tried something different with the photography this time: using a translucent juice jug. Milk in Ontario is sold in bags rather than in jugs, so it was only the fact that we bought some OJ that I was able to get a jug. I’m not convinced it does better than my regular setup, but I may continue to play around with it.

Ruby Netted Pendant, Sterling and fine silver, 7.4 cm long x 4.8 cm wide. Private collection.

Bridal Commission

Posted on October 6, 2007May 11, 2008 by dianne

Back in December I was contacted by a lady who wanted a bridal set based on the Musicali Necklace.

She wanted the necklace and a headpiece based on the necklace.

Since she was getting married in Scotland, she also wanted two Celtic-style pendants for her attendants – one based on a shield with a malachite bead, and another based on a treskele with garnet beads.

I got a follow up email from her at the end of last month. She was very happy with all of the jewellery.

Apparently the dressmaker loved the jewellery so much “she refused to allow me to put any kind of embellishment on the dress, because she said the necklace and headpiece were already the perfect compliment to it, and would take away from the overall effect.”

Here’s the bride wearing the headpiece and necklace, and another shot of the bridesmaids wearing their pendants.

Tag Archives: pendant

YOJ09-05 The Caged Heart Grows Cold

YOJ09-04 Swarovski Pendant

One for my collection :-)

Bridal Commission

Other Musings

Blasts from the Past

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