So I have been sitting on this pendant for literally just a little over a year now – every so often, taking it out, fiddling with it and then stuffing it back into a bag or drawer for months on end.
I am happy to say that at long last, I have finally finished it!
This is a sterling silver hand stamped pendant with a glorious Tiffany Stone cabochon.
I am rather loving it right at the moment! <3
I thought it might be fun and interesting to see how this piece progressed for those that might have missed me posting it here and there on our Facebook page or our Instagram page!
It all started with the Beast Rock ….
Quite the glorious thing, isn’t she?
So this piece really started in December 2015, when I first came across the beast rock of Tiffany Stone that I made this cabochon from. In fact, this is the very first cab that I did from this particular material! But yes, as I was checking out a closing rock shop, I was allowed into the old building and against a back wall, in a cobwebbed and dusty glass cabinet sat this beauty of a rock. It was love at first sight.
After obsessing over the thing and debating on whether or not to buy it as I had never seen Tiffany Stone in person before and I couldn’t actually touch the rock or even get much closer to it than in the above picture to see for sure what it was, if it was fractured or not or even if it was good quality because it was SO massive and heavy that they were NOT moving it unless it sold first … I finally caved and scooped that beast rock up. They got it into the truck for me and this is my first look at it with a spritz of water …
The rock flipped upside down – note the milk crates
and the 5 gallon blue bucket for scale.
So then we had to find a bit to break off as she was far too big to fit into one of the SMS rock saws. So we took her down to the Stockton rock club as they have a wide selection of saws (plus it’s always like going “home” when I go there <3 ) and they helped us break off a small chunk and then slab it up …
Shaazam!
It’s just really beautiful material! LOTS of drama and visual interest. I have been really enjoying working the little bits of this material that I have worked so far.
Once we got the chunk slabbed up, we gave some pieces away for others to enjoy working, sold a couple, donated a few to some raffles at the various clubs and then, yes, we started working on some ourselves.
Tiffany Stone slabs
Pretty stuff, isn’t it? Lots and lots of action and drama going on in that stone! I just am in utter love with it, through and through!
Pretty cab! <3
So here is the first cabochon I wound up making in February 2016, I chose a section of the slab that had the deepest, darkest, gemmy-ist (is that even a word? LOL!) purple, but with some lighter aspect and a few lighter veins winding through it for visual interest. It’s REALLY hard to get a good pic of it because it polished up SO nicely!!
And then in April I decided I needed to think about setting this fabulous cabochon! So I doodled up some designs and this is the one I ultimately decided to pursue …
Doodling designs
You see, I had recently fallen in love with metal stamping the summer and fall of 2015, and had been putting off trying it in a serious attempt so far, and I decided this cabochon deserved a super nice setting!
The back I decided I wanted to cut out because the cabochon is just so pretty on the back as well!
And so it begins! My very first stamped back plate! Definitely not perfect, but I enjoy seeing the artist’s hand in handmade pieces so I’m okay when mine show up in the work that I do.
Then following my drawn design, I drew out my outlines until my eyes said “Enough! CUT IT OUT ALREADY!” (cuz I will tinker for literally years with things lol)
And so a month or so later, I obeyed the muses and my eyes and cut it out.
In hindsight – I could have done better with the symmetry, but there you go! 😉 The most important thing was that I *did* it!
But … I didn’t like it much. So it sat. For almost a year! I would pull it out, look at it and think about it and almost decide to set the cabochon and then went, yeah nope. Ain’t happy with it yet, and put it away.
And then in April 2017 the muses had me drag it back out and fiddle with it, I stamped a bunch more stuff on it, and then cut out around the stampings more to give it more visual impact and then gave it a nice oxide bath and then polished the heck out of the thing!
And this is where I found myself at:
Pretty, yes? I think so! And the muses were for the most part quieted and humming contentedly so I figured yes! It is DONE!
A preview of what it looked like before setting whilst in the setting …
Some mistakes were made but I do not care, I am HAPPY with it! It is good for me to finish things that sit a long time.
And then once again, the final result once finally set …
I think overall it was a great learning experience and that I enjoyed it immensely and that ultimately the final result was a finished piece of jewelry that *I* like and can be proud of and that I think someone will be proud to own.
And until then, I will happily babysit her until her owner finds her and takes her away.
