Wire & opal

[ryzellon.livejournal.com]

(This is actually a series of posts to my craft blog, so the thumbnail links to the first post in the series. The link to the full sized image is actually at the bottom of post #3.)

Matrix opals wrapped in sterling:

(They're all pretty small. The largest ones are barely 2cm from eye-to-tip. But they're so pretty.)


Here are links to the other relevant pages, though there's likely to be more posts on this topic later that might not be reflected here. You'd be best off monitoring Artificis directly.
Part II
Part III
Part IV (The ones in this post are not shown on the thumbnail above.)

I discovered that I really dislike standard opals--the polished stones with one side flat for mounting in jewelry, doublets and triplets. They just look like the backs of cheap "holographic" stickers with plastic domes over them. I think this also has to do with my general dislike for mixing colors, and the chaotic flecks on jewelry-grade opals don't appeal to me.

It wasn't until I finally came across some semi-rough opals that I found true enjoyment of the gem. Queensland Boulder opal chips. I think they're also called "matrix opals," and I find them a darned lot prettier than what you'd find at a jewelry store. I like the context of the surrounding stone, and the vein patterns are beautiful in their own right. The patterns are also less overwhelming, which I like. Understatement is good.

General construction: 22ga HH and 0.6mm sterling. Worked by hand, round-nose, chain-nose and bent-nose pliers. Also a fair bit of swearing.
A file was used to take down some sharp edges, and occasionally to help set the wires.
For the most part there was no need for magnification of what I was working on, but when there was, I used a modified plastic loupe over my glasses.
Strategic points on the pendants/beads/wrappedstonesare daubed with gap-filling cyanoacrylate.