So I have some in progress photos of Dr. Sue's fire opal and water pendant. I did a second round of sketches because the first set wasn't quite on the mark. I landed a design that had both the tribal hand-made style that appeals to the doc, but toned down to a more every-day wearable piece with feminine elegence. Then I plunged into making the pendant.
So the sketches show these lines going across a shape. The lines are a symbolic way to illustrate water and the shape would be the shape of the pendant. I thought a tear-drop shape would be best not only for the literal symbolism but because it best fits the shape of the stone. The teardrop will be "puffed" in a press so that it has a dome to it. (there are actually 2 puffed teardrops-a front and a back. the stone is really thick and have the shapes puffed will allow it to hold and protect more of the stone.) The lines are pieces of silver and/or copper wire that will be soldered to the surface. I say copper, because I think it goes so well with the opal, and brings out the colors in the stone, and I love the idea of copper and silver combined in general.
So you can see the two puffy pieces holding the stone (one in front and one underneath). Note that the inside is hollow. The problem with bigger pieces like this is usually the comfort is lacking because of things like weight. Opal is actually pretty light so combined with the hollow construction it will look heavy but should be rather enjoyable to wear. More updates to follow.
