Pendant Project No. 2

Here is another project that I am working on for a friend. She liked the blue dichro pendant that is featured in the Plum Wild Glassworks+ slide show -- upper right corner of this blog. That pendant sold a couple of months ago. It is hard to duplicate a pendant made several months ago, but I happened to have another one that was made the same day. I did not like the look of the pendant after doing a wire bail. At last, there was a good reason to rework the entire pendant.



Since I drilled a hole in the glass, I had to come up with a new idea to use the same pendant for my friend while at the same time satisfying myself.



I decided to break it up. One problem, though, it was so thick that it was next to impossible to break along the score line. As you can see, out of desperation, I put the glass in a workshop vice, tightened until I thought the pliers would break, held my breath, kept tightening, and the glass finally broke as shown in the photo below.


My friend not only wanted a pendant but also wanted earrings, and if possible, a ring. I used the grinder to shape all the pieces; you'll notice the dull edges. One of the nice things about glass is you can do what is called a fire polish at a temperature lower than a full fuse and the grinding marks go away.
Viola! This is what you get after doing a fire polish. The sides are rounded, smooth and "glassy." :D Pay no attention to the dark spots in the pendant; it is just the way the light hits some of the dichro. I tried editing the dark spots, but it looked weird. The spots are not there when looking directly at the pendant. It is quite a challenge photographing pendants, and I haven't yet gotten it down nor have I become accomplished on my photo editing software.

The earrings are done with only the ring to be finished. I'll use the single piece of glass as a cabochon. I have the plan. It has been three or four years since I've done any silversmithing, so the ring is taking a little longer to finish. I just hope the plan works as I see it in my brain!

My friend is quite pleased with the pendant and earrings which is what matters. :D She is patiently waiting for the ring.

Until next time, God bless.