A couple years ago I created one of my most difficult pieces... I learned a lot but at the time thought "I'm never doing this again!!"... and then, a family member asked me to recreate the piece with a couple variations... I couldn't say no... So...
Here is Garden Path II:
This is her predecessor (with earrings), so you can see the variations...
I was asked to use different colored stones which were a bit larger, but keep the piece the same overall size. I was also asked to do a different sort of "leaf", and no earrings were requested.
Here's some pictures of the work as it was in process...
 |
Using previous instructions from my first Garden Path,
I cut heavy 1/2 round wire to size. |
 |
| The Amazonite stones that had been selected, laid out in order. |
 |
| Working on the leaves, the left is a rough-cut, the right is shaped/formed. |
 |
| Leaves with their stems soldered in place. |
 |
| Ready to shape some of the heavy wire. |
 |
| Grinding down the heavy wire to form a tight solder joint. |
 |
| She's taking shape. |
 |
| Soldering the last piece of heavy wire in place. |
 |
| Main Body soldered together. |
 |
| Leaves soldered in place, Bezels created. |
I only had 1 mishap... actually a series of mishaps... it was the first time I tried to solder the bezels in place... I got it figured out eventually...
 |
| Bezels soldered in place, ready to set the stones. |
 |
| Stones set, ready for her sanding & polishing, then for a chain. |
Here she is again, in final form...
