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Mostly Metal Category
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Wings
Artist: Debbie Kelly (Topsham, ME)
Honorable Mention, Mostly Metal
“My inspiration for this piece came from an inner desire to plan and create a very complex multi-stone design. This was not to be a collage of mixed stones, but an intentional arrangement from conception to finish. Immediately, a butterfly came to mind. I spent three days, on and off, penciling sketches of how to execute my task. I wanted no surprises, and I wanted every wire in the exact right place for their final application. I chose lab-created pink sapphires and dark citrine CZ’s for the stones, a striking color combination. The under-structure of this piece was particularly difficult. The back of the wire harness must be kept open for light to pass through the gemstone. I began by creating a structure of wire for the bottom point of each gemstone to sit in. This foundation used a combination of 22g dead soft and half-hard square sterling silver wire in a precise configuration, so that the softer wires were available for designing and the harder wire in the correct position for the bail. This was the most painstaking part of my project. The rest went much more smoothly due to my extensive planning of wire placement. Then I fastened the stones into place using hand twisted dead soft 22g hard sterling wire. Then the design leapt onto the wings using the appropriate wires. Each wing is designed a bit differently for more eye appeal. I made the bail wires extra tall and split them in half to give the illusion of antennae. I knew that this pendant had to have a special neck wire, so I added one of my signature neck wires to complete the piece. It is made on a base of sterling silver wire, 20g half-hard round. Numerous 4mm sterling silver beads are woven onto the wire one at a time with a tiny 2mm sterling silver bead in between. The clasp is a simple hook design with just the right amount of tension to hold it.” – Debbie Kelly
Review the 2007 contest details to see what this contestant was up against. And remember, it’s never too early to start planning for the 2008 contest!
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