Repetition and Variation - Sterling Necklace

This is a Sterling Silver Necklace (with cording) that I made mostly for the CWU Student Art Show this spring.

Here are some pictures of the process used to make it:

Punch out some circles

made them into domes using the dapping block and hammers

aneal

this is the belly button technique.  once the dome is made, flip it over (anneal first) and push back through the center of the dome.  maybe a couple of times each way

I think they are more interesting visually of they are offset or just not perfectly alligned

so I made a bunch, different sizes

for a finished look I added a circle of wire slightly larger in gauge than the sheet

like this

then little tiny pieces in "u" shape to allow the cording to connect

I made more of these than I thought I would need so that I could sort them and try to get some visual balance between the different sizes

added the cording and left the background or recesses the bone white that is a product of the pickling or depletion guilding process and burnished up the high spots.  I think this makes an interesting contrast

This picture gives an idea of the scale, but add a few knots and the  shape and length change.

This was a fun project and I think it took around 20 hours, including goofing off time.  There are about 28 solder seems and getting the rings that sit on top of the domes or belly buttons just the right size was difficult.  But overall I think it is a nice piece (even though I didn't win at the art show.)  Maybe I'll just enter another show or just give it to my wife.

This one was donated to and auctioned off at the Annual Gallery One Paint Ellensburg event.  I don't paint.  Maybe just cardboard regatta boats is all.