Filigree project

Being the proprietor of a newly opened store, I find I have lots of time on my hands (witness this blog). The upside of this is that I have plenty of time for fun projects, inventory, practice on all sorts of things you can't do to the customers' jewelry.

My mom really admires my filigree work, so she commissioned me to create a pendant for her that would be a display for her strange diamond. Just over a carat, it measures 7.6mm x 3.4mm; not likely any commercial setting would work. Since it was rather yellow (the cert said J, but I think that was generous) we decided to use 18k yellow gold as the frame and setting. Might as well as make it really really yellow, right?

Since I had a limited budget and only 10 inches of 18k wire (16 gauge) for the frame, I made it in sterling silver first. Made lots of shapes until I found a combination that worked. That's about where the planning on this ended - it took on a life of its own, and nothing turned out like I expected.

After a comedy of errors I'm too proud to reveal, I got the diamond set. Turned out the gold made the diamond look whiter rather than yellower. Depends on the light... Then I realized I'd forgotten to take into account the bail, and all the 18k wire was gone, DANG! Thank goodness I had a short strip of 18k bezel wire, 26g.

I had just seen Luis Moreno's video about making a bail, so I borrowed the idea. Worked out pretty nicely, and made everything hang gracefully (the setting had moved down, but it looks better that way).

Just for fun I got out my UV flashlight and found the diamond fluoresces a lovely blue-violet.

Even though it's a month early, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!