Here's a photo essay on "making" a pendant!
In this case, we are customizing an existing blank mounting to make a pendant.
The raw materials for this are a pendant mounting and tri-color tourmaline. This gem is too large for the existing pendant, but the mounting wasn't available for this size gem. Consequently we'll enlarge it to fit.
Let's Make Jewelry!
We begin the process of enlarging the setting. In this case we cut the "head" part in half so that we can add a piece on each side to lengthen it for the gem.
The blank mounting and tourmaline.
Using a marker, (at left) I measure the space the longer gem needs. I'll then cut out a piece of gold for each side and solder that piece on each side (shown below) Then I solder the other half of the head to these pieces.
Notice how "ugly" the process is. You're seeing (below) uneven pieces and the flux used to keep the gold from turning black when it's heated. I'll even everything up after I solder the other end on. Those pieces I added are deliberately larger so that I can file them back to the correct size without making the original piece smaller.
1.
The photos above right show the process of soldering the end piece on to the additional sections.
The photo at left shows it all soldered together. Now I'll begin the process of filing and then setting the gem and turning it into a piece of jewelry.
In order to hold the pendant in place while I set the gem, I use stuff called shellac that I melt onto a platform and set the pendant in this "goop" to set up hard. Those protrusions on the top and bottom of the pendant will get hammered over the gem to hold it in place.
Finally, we have a polished, finished and beautiful pendant.
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...see the guy with the bow tie!
