Andrea Hopkins from Cape Town is a jewellery designer and manufacturer. She made this beautiful lily pendant for a friend. Check her out on Facebook www.facebook.com/thelovelyones or go to her website www.thelovelyones.co.za
You will need
sheet wax for casting
wire wax for casting
candle
sterling silver
dental tool
jeweller’s torch
pliers
solder
rubber wheels and sanding disks
lime sulphur solution
small abrasive wheel
silver chain
jeweller’s pendant motor
To make
1 Press out the shape for the lily head from the sheet wax. Use a piece of wire wax for the stem of the lily.
2 Form the stamen of the lily by rolling one end of the wire wax on a flat surface to a taper.
3 Soften the sheet wax in your fingers so that you can bend up the piece to take the shape of the lily head.
4 Now fit the head to the stem as follows: using a candle, heat the end of a dental tool and melt the waxes together so your join is secure.
5 Cast the lily in sterling silver. NOTE This step requires specialised jewellery tools and casting equipment.
6 File the lily’s stem to a fairly thin taper. Heat it with a jeweller’s torch to soften the metal.
7 Use pliers to bend the stem to form the bail of the pendant and wrap the extra end around the base of the stem.
8 Use solder to secure the thin end of the stem to the base.
9 Clean the lily with rubber wheels and sanding disks using a jeweller’s pendant motor.
10 Oxidise (blacken) the lily by dipping it in a lime sulphur solution. Leave it to dry.
11 Use an abrasive wheel to remove the oxidation from the raised areas, leaving it in the recessed areas.
12 Hang the pendant from a silver chain.
Lost-wax casting process
I love your design – but would suggest for those who do not have all the equipment for working in metal, that the same design could be easily made with PMC or Art Clay Silver.