Framed Cloisonné Pendant

Step 1

Steps:

1. Create a line drawing of an eye with eyelashes and an eyebrow design on paper.

• Make two copies in the actual size of the jewelry piece.
• Use one copy as a pattern guide to shape the cloisonné wire.
• Cover the other copy with double-stick tape and use it to store the cut cloisonné wire.

Step 2

2. Shape the cloisonné wire with tweezers and pliers. Place the shaped wire on the tape-covered drawing until all the lines are covered.

Step 3

3. Measure and saw a square of fine silver for the base of the jewelry piece with a jeweler's saw. Round the corners of the base with a file.

Step 4

4. Coat the base shape with 50/50 mix of Klyr-fire enamel glue and water. Wearing a respirator, sift clear vitreous enamel on the front of the piece through a #80 mesh sifter.

Step 5

5. Place the piece on a kiln prop and transport it to the kiln with a kiln fork. Fire in a kiln at 1400F for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes. Clean and dry the piece.

Step 6

6. Enamel the back of the base shape with a coat of black and fire it in the kiln. Clean and dry the back.

Steps 7-8

7. Apply a coat of enamel glue to the front of the base. Using tweezers, place the cloisonné wires on top following the design. Allow to dry.

8. Re-fire the piece in the kiln just until the wires have melted into the surface of the base coat of enamel.

Step 9

9. Mix a variety of powdered enamel colors with the 50/50 mixture of enamel glue and water. Apply the colors into the cloisonné sections.

Steps 10-12

10. Re-fire the piece until the sections are full or close to full and the desired colors are reached. This may take 10 to 40 firings.

11. Grind the enamel with a wet alundum stone.

12. Fire-polish the piece in the kiln.

Step 13

13. Saw out a 1-1/2 inch square piece of sterling sheet as a background frame for the enamel. Drill a hole in the sheet and, with a saw, pierce a keyhole decoration into the sheet to be seen from the back. Round the corners with a file.

Steps 14-15

14. Form a bezel wire around the enamel piece and snip it to the right size.

15. Solder the loose ends of the bezel wire together with hard sterling solder and flux. Place it in the pickle. Remove it from the pickle and clean it.

Step 16

16. Solder the bezel wire to the sterling plate with medium hard sterling solder and flux. Place it in the pickle. Remove it from the pickle and clean it.

Step 17

17. Make a jump ring and file down a flat spot. Solder the flat spot of the jump ring to the center top of the frame.

Step 18

18. Bail:

• Saw an elongated football shape out of sterling sheet for the bail.
• File or sand the edges cleanly.
• Fold the shape loosely in half using round/flat pliers, so that the tips touch and there is plenty of room for a chain to pass through what was the center of the football.

Step 19

19. Slip the bail onto the frame's jump ring and solder it into place. Place it in the pickle. Remove it from the pickle and clean it.

Steps 20-21

20. Lightly polish the frame with a Foredom motor tool and radial bristle discs. Scribble a texture onto the back of the piece with a round bur.

21. Set the enamel in the bezel and gently push down the bezel walls being careful not to chip the enamel glass on your framed cloisonné pendant.

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