A collection of new works…

for my trunk show at Brio Gallery in Galena, Illinois is in the making.  I’ve just finished this mixed metals charm necklace.  The focal puffed heart was formed by making a plexiglas die, then placing a sheet of textured sterling silver on the die and applying pressure with an hydraulic press.  After sawing the puffed heart from the remaining flat sheet and sanding the edges smooth, I soldered it to a backing of sterling sheet and sawed the edges in somewhat of a rickrack pattern.  Heavy gauge bronze wire runs through a tube along the backside and coils unevenly at both sides of the heart.  A variety of silver and bronze metal clay charms and antique shoe buttons add interest as they dangle along bronze and sterling links accented with beads of glass, carnelian, and bone.  A simple “S” hook closure attached to sterling chain finishes this petite treasure which measures twenty-one inches in length.

~ by BarbaraBriggsDesigns on August 22, 2011.