Origami Paper Pendant

Materials:

24- or 22-gauge sterling silver sheet
3/16" sterling silver bezel
sterling silver tube
glass cabochon
decoupage glue
hard, medium, easy solder
flux
torch
pickle solution
pickle pot
steel wool
files
asbestos board
tripod and screen
saw
saw blades
rawhide mallet
bezel pushing tool
Bon Ami cleanser
Simple Green

Steps:

1. Cut out base of the pendant. This is the flat piece that the glass cabochon will sit on. File all the edges so they are smooth. Be sure to round the corners of all the sharp points.

2. Cut out a small length of silver tubing for the bale. File the edges. If the edges aren’t smooth, this will eventually cut the wire or cord your pendant will be strung on.

3. Cut out your image using the glass cabochon as a template. Glue the image to the glass cabochon.

4. Once the glue is dry, wrap the bezel wire around the glass cabochon. Cut the bezel wire to fit snuggly around the glass cabochon. File the cut edges of the bezel wire. It’s important that the two ends of the bezel wire are filed flat so that when they touch, there is no gap.

5. Solder the bale to the base of the pendant with hard solder. Once the bale is soldered in place, place the soldered bale/pendant in the pickle pot.

6. While the bale/pendant are in the pickle, solder the bezel together with hard solder. Make sure that the ends of the bezel are touching. Once the bezel is soldered, place the bezel in the pickle.

7. Remove the bale/pendant from the pickle and clean it with a combo of Bon Ami and Simple Green. Wash in water, and repeat this same process with the bezel.

8. By this point the bezel is probably not the shape it should be. Place the bezel around the glass cabochon to reform it.

9. When bezel has been reshaped, position it where you would like it on top of the bale/pendant. Check to see if the bezel is sitting flat on the bale/pendant. If you can see any gaps, lightly hammer the top of the bezel with a rawhide mallet.

10. Solder the bezel to the bale/pendant with medium solder.

11. Once everything is soldered together, place the piece in the pickle pot. Let it sit in the pickle for a few minutes. Remove the pendant from the pickle and clean.

12. Polish it with steel wool. When "polishing" with steel wool, always polish in the same direction. If you start polishing with a back and forth motion, continue polishing the whole piece that way.

13. Place the glass cabochon inside the bezel. The cabochon should fit snuggly in the bezel; if it doesn’t, you can keep it from moving around by putting a dab of silicon sealer on the back of it. With the bezel pusher, work your way around the bezel, slowly pushing it over the glass cabochon.

14. String the pendant on your favorite cord/necklace.

Website: www.beccalou.com

E-mail: becky@beccalou.com