Ammonite

I found an amazingly detailed ammonite over 30 years ago in North Yorkshire.  Using latex, I took an impression and created this pendant in .999 silver - approx 1.5 inches including bail.  Polishing and burnishing has softened the detail of the silver version, but the lines on the original are incredibly crisp.  I read somewhere that this little creature created about 13 chambers a year as it grew, and most lived around two years.  How old does this make mine?

Sea glass pendant

Spent a pleasant day wandering round other people's gardens in a nearby village.  There were fourteen open to scrutiny, including the manor house with its fabulous specimen trees, ha-ha (boundary between the estate's gardens and grounds), and breathtaking views across the valley.  After an arduous day wandering from garden to garden struggling to remember Latin plant names, we were drawn to the plant sale and cream teas in the village hall.  I'm now the proud owner of an acanthus (bear's breeches), ht 2 inches, price 20p - a bargain...if it survives.

More sea glass sorting this evening.  I like working with sea glass but find the unevenly shaped pieces tricky to mount in a bezel.  I end up with a rather casual "arty" look where the bezel, when viewed from the front is uneven.  I know it's the nature of the material I'm working with, but unless I'm specifially aiming for that casual look - and exaggerate it for emphasis - it can be frustrating.  The smooth pebbles here were easier to mount.  This pendant has two (grey and greeny blue) with a light green shard of glass at the base.  All from Northern beaches.

Sea glass pendant - 3 colours

A hot, but cloudy day and quite humid.  I could have spent the time weeding as they're about to take over the whole garden. A greater urge led me to the sea glass shoebox where I spent a happy hour laying out glass in various combinations of shapes, sizes and colours.  Result?  Several new projects (but alas, no more bezel strip). 

This pendant consists of a ruby red glass bead with central crease, aqua and dark lime shards.  I balanced the pendant with a sterling silver bar with hammer finish.  I'm hanging on to this one until I've re-done the bezels.

Jade pendant

This piece of jade - originally with no silver mount or bail - has a large hole drilled near the top.  Its owner had noticed a tendency for the pendant to twist round when hung on a cord, and hadn't worn it for a while. 

I enclosed the edge of the stone with narrow bezel strip, leaving the reverse of the stone open.  I went for a plain, wide bail which mirrors the shape of the jade and also hides the hole. 

Blue sampler bracelet

A sampler bracelet in silver, with turquoise blue Pandora-style glass beads.  I used a variety of techniques in this bracelet, one being employed in the plaited and coiled silver focal bead, the other in the "blackberry" next to the hook fastening. There is a lot of silver in the focal bead which makes the bracelet quite heavy.  I'm not happy with the Greek key feature on the left; it'll be replaced by something to balance the opposite side.

Necklace, hammer finish

Necklace/large pendant to match the earrings below. 
I had something of a dilemma when it came to the means of suspending this large pendant/series of pendants.  Each drop is separate but the customer requested that they be strung on Tiger Tail (fine, nylon-covered stainless steel wire).   Stringing them separately would make them liable to overlap as the customer moved. My solution was to fix them in relation to each other across the back using a length of silver wire with a loop at each end - a hidden bail.  The effect is one of 5 separate pieces; the reality...one large pendant.

Hammered finish silver earrings

Having discovered just how much light is reflected by a hammer finish, I'm using it for more and more pieces.  These earrings catch every bit of light going.