Thursday, December 30, 2010

The *Earth Mother* Necklace

A gift,


wrought of silver and stone...



An ode to Mother Earth,


for an Earth Mother...


The back of the cabochon was too beautiful to cover.


The essence of Mother Earth,


captured in stone...




So I learnt a new technique*,


to let her shine,

to let her breathe.


She is held by a whisper of silver...



A drop of natural faceted chalcedony,


magnificently milky....



...and faceted aquamarines twinkle above her,

like stars on a cloudless night...


An Earth Mother necklace...

...for my very own Earth Mother.



Merry Christmas, Mum.


B.
-xo-


*I taught myself how to create step bezel.  Rather than create a bezel using sheet metal which covers the entire back of the cabochon, I used heavy gauge wire to create a 'step' inside the bezel.  The wire is just enough to hold the stone securely, but thin enough to expose the maximum amount of stone.  Sheesh, it sounds simple when I say it like that! LOL  But to get a snug fit was, well, HOURS of work!!


Oh, and eight soldering joins went into the creation of this necklace! <:-)

14 comments:

  1. Beautiful work Belinda, A lovely gift for your Mum. Something I'm sure she'll treasure it forever :)

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  2. Absolutely gorgeous Belinda. I adore the stamping you have created - it looks so professional.

    You are doing amazing work with the silver now. Just out of curiosity - how long would a piece like this take you?

    Can't wait until your store starts filling up :D

    Karyn

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  3. It's stunning! So simple, but I can't stop looking at it. I love the details and the circle attachment on the back!
    Happy New Year, Belinda! Wishing you even more inspiration and great creative ideas next year, too! xoxo
    Jana

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  4. Oh Belinda...this necklace is so beautiful!!
    Happy New Year!!

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  5. Ohhhh B your mum I know loves this piece. I am so happy you found your silver again. This is outstanding in all ways.
    Nicole/Beadwright

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  6. Bravo!!! It's gorgeous, and I love the back!

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  7. O wow..... it's gorgeous! Love love love the backside. I've been thinking about doing backs like that too... but I'm not sure I have the patience. LOL

    Well done my lovely friend. It's absolutely beautiful. :)

    Happy New Year!

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  8. What a beautiful special necklace! Your hours of work were worth it :)

    Happy New Year!

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  9. Oh Belinda I have no words to discribe the beauty of this piece and I am sure it will be treasured forever!
    Happy New Year!

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  10. Wow Belinda, it is so beautiful, your mother, i know she like it ;o)...Belinda, i wish you for the new year 2011 all the best,and i know i see many amazing pieces from you..... Happy new year ;o) kisses andrea

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  11. Thank you, Pam! I hope that Mum likes it...I was rather sad to package it up and send it off actually, I quite liked wearing it myself! LOL

    I hope so, Marcie...I always try to do better ;-)

    Thanks Karyn! I'm so glad you like my stamping...this is my makers mark which I'm putting on all of my silver work now :-) As to how long a piece like this would take...hmmm...I'd say about 3 hour from start to finish. That's assuming that the next time I make a step bezel it won't take me as long as the first time! LOL

    Thanks Heroilda! Happy new year to you too!

    Thanks for your lovely comments, Jana! I wish you a wonderful 2011 full of love, laughter, creativity and prosperity!!

    Thank you so much, Anna...wishing you a happy new year!

    You're too kind, Nicole...I do hope that Mum loves it! I am so happy to be creating with silver...seems my poor beads have been rather neglected since I've been silversmithing LOL -xo-

    Thanks Brandi! I try to make the back side of any of my pieces just as nice as the front :-)

    A-K, I'm certain you have the patience to create bezels like this. And one of the up-sides to these type of bezels...they use less silver! The reverse side of so many cabochons are far too beautiful to be covered up. You CAN do it! ;-) Happy new year to you, my gorgeous friend -xo-

    Thank you so much, Michele...a handmade gift is just that much more special, isn't it :-)

    Thank you, Kristen! I'm so glad you like it, your comments always make me smile :-)))

    Andrea, your support in 2010 has meant the world to me. I have loved seeing all of your beautiful creations, and I cannot wait to see what you create in 2011! -xo-

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  12. Wow, it's indeed a great work.It's eye catching and which makes me to stumble here for a moment without going ahead.Lovely work Belinda and your Mum so lucky to get it.Keep going with your awesome work.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a comment!

B.
-xo-