So A few posts back, I posted some photos of this rough Mexican Fire Opal that a client was given. She is looking for a pendant to be made of this one, and has a few others to be made into earrings. I am going to focus on the pendant designs for this post. I think we will be using silver for the piece, but note, this could be done in any metal. Some of the basic ideas that the client is interested in considering for the piece are: water symbology, especially meanings of protection from water (like a talisman); specifically Maori tribal designs; Mexican/Native American/Southwest style silver; and textures. (And of course we can add to that list later.)
The stone is a combination of the matrix (other generic rock) and the gemstone (in this case, the Mexican opal). The matrix accounts for the majority of this stone, with the gemstone moving diagonally across the center of one side of the stone (which I am considering to be the front). This design would showcase that. The silver detail on either side of the opal is of a pattern illustrating water, the flow of water. (Disclaimer: It is my own design, and not connected with any ancient symbology or anything.) The silver detail would also creep up the sides of the stone, and around the back to hold the stone in place securely. the ring around the outside of the pendant would be thick and wide, acting as a protective frame for the stone, so this pendant design would be able to handle a bit more than your average wear and tear.
This design focuses on texture. There will be a flat silver backing with little silver granules and wires soldered onto the surface to create the texture. we could even use copper instead of silver for a bit more contrast. Though there would be a lot of texture, it will stick up off the backing slightly (less than a 16th of an inch) and the stone itself will stick up of the back about half an inch. The other thing with this design is the back of the pendant will have a nice clean flat surface. Meaning: 1) it will be very comfortable against bare skin, and 2) there will be a surface which we can use to inscribe a prayer, poem, well wishes, or what have you.
This is based on a native American style of silver jewelry. This is designed to be very light weight and at the same time, protective of the stone. Basically the construction consists of the silver frame which is just ever so slightly larger than the stone. There will be a open seat under the stone for support, and hefty prongs at various points to keep the stone secure. So the gaps you see between the frame and the stone are just air making this design very lightweight. We can modify this design by having a solid back if desired.
After looking at some Maori Hook designs and reading a little bit about them, I came up with this sketch. The Maori are not just decorating things with their aesthetic. They use their designs to tell stories. With that idea in mind I came up with this one. Here the stone is rising out of the water and surrounded by it, which i drew with the intention of meaning overcoming water or mastering it. Of course feel free to apply your own interpretations. This would be made of silver, and it does look like it would be pretty big and pointy to wear. What I would do when making it, is to round the points out enough to make it comfortable against the skin. I would also have the silver be very thin in spots so that it doesn't wind up being too heavy to wear. (This can be done without jeopardizing the stability of the piece.)
This is a basic design idea for how to incorporate an actual Maori Hook design into the pendant. I came up with a generic one for the purpose of this sketch, but we could replace it with the hook of my clients choosing. The stone would dangle from the hook. What I would do is build a silver frame around the stone that hugs the sides of the stone to create a protective casing.
These are very rough sketches in sharpie. The top is just big meaty prongs securing the stone. the bottom left and bottom right are both taking an idea of geometric (blocky) shapes to go around the stone. Its a bit architectural, and 1950's modern in style. My thought was that these big smooth silver shapes would offer a nice contrast to the color, texture, and detail of the stone, emphasising it's natural beauty.
This is and idea of making a literal box around the stone. As with the previous designs, is would contrast the details of the stone. This one goes one step farther because it creates a strong, solid frame for protecting the stone. It also draws more attention to the silhouette of the stone. this is shown with two bails, but could be modified to be one instead.
The stone is a combination of the matrix (other generic rock) and the gemstone (in this case, the Mexican opal). The matrix accounts for the majority of this stone, with the gemstone moving diagonally across the center of one side of the stone (which I am considering to be the front). This design would showcase that. The silver detail on either side of the opal is of a pattern illustrating water, the flow of water. (Disclaimer: It is my own design, and not connected with any ancient symbology or anything.) The silver detail would also creep up the sides of the stone, and around the back to hold the stone in place securely. the ring around the outside of the pendant would be thick and wide, acting as a protective frame for the stone, so this pendant design would be able to handle a bit more than your average wear and tear.
This design focuses on texture. There will be a flat silver backing with little silver granules and wires soldered onto the surface to create the texture. we could even use copper instead of silver for a bit more contrast. Though there would be a lot of texture, it will stick up off the backing slightly (less than a 16th of an inch) and the stone itself will stick up of the back about half an inch. The other thing with this design is the back of the pendant will have a nice clean flat surface. Meaning: 1) it will be very comfortable against bare skin, and 2) there will be a surface which we can use to inscribe a prayer, poem, well wishes, or what have you. 
This is based on a native American style of silver jewelry. This is designed to be very light weight and at the same time, protective of the stone. Basically the construction consists of the silver frame which is just ever so slightly larger than the stone. There will be a open seat under the stone for support, and hefty prongs at various points to keep the stone secure. So the gaps you see between the frame and the stone are just air making this design very lightweight. We can modify this design by having a solid back if desired.
After looking at some Maori Hook designs and reading a little bit about them, I came up with this sketch. The Maori are not just decorating things with their aesthetic. They use their designs to tell stories. With that idea in mind I came up with this one. Here the stone is rising out of the water and surrounded by it, which i drew with the intention of meaning overcoming water or mastering it. Of course feel free to apply your own interpretations. This would be made of silver, and it does look like it would be pretty big and pointy to wear. What I would do when making it, is to round the points out enough to make it comfortable against the skin. I would also have the silver be very thin in spots so that it doesn't wind up being too heavy to wear. (This can be done without jeopardizing the stability of the piece.)
This is a basic design idea for how to incorporate an actual Maori Hook design into the pendant. I came up with a generic one for the purpose of this sketch, but we could replace it with the hook of my clients choosing. The stone would dangle from the hook. What I would do is build a silver frame around the stone that hugs the sides of the stone to create a protective casing.
These are very rough sketches in sharpie. The top is just big meaty prongs securing the stone. the bottom left and bottom right are both taking an idea of geometric (blocky) shapes to go around the stone. Its a bit architectural, and 1950's modern in style. My thought was that these big smooth silver shapes would offer a nice contrast to the color, texture, and detail of the stone, emphasising it's natural beauty.
This is and idea of making a literal box around the stone. As with the previous designs, is would contrast the details of the stone. This one goes one step farther because it creates a strong, solid frame for protecting the stone. It also draws more attention to the silhouette of the stone. this is shown with two bails, but could be modified to be one instead.
So those are the ideas so far, I am style thinking this over and trying to tackle the Maori idea in a few other ways. I would love to hear your thoughts in the meantime.
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