Work in Progress Wednesday - One must have Sunshine

The endlessness of this icy cold weather is so grey and confining.

I'm totally  yearning for the warmer months, aren't you? 

Though I may be born and bred in Northern climes, the inertia of mid-winter has me languishing...daydreaming of summer's carefree days, and the golden warmth of sunshine. 

So I took those daydreams down into the studio with me today.

And this is what came out of my hands.

Come and take a look...

From my pocket sketchbook (I love Moleskine notebooks).

The drawing,  the plate I etched in sterling silver,

a couple of ocean jasper cabochons to choose from, and the wire that will become the ring shank.

Piercing around the outline with a jeweler's saw.

Filing away rough edges.

Using needle files to smooth the metal between tight spaces.

Fitting the bezel wire around the cabochon.

Soldering.

A close up of soldering the bezel wire down to the base.

Finished ring.

The silhouette of the ring face is a fluffy cloud in the outline of a butterfly.

Side view of ring shank.

The back is open and airy, like the airiness of the butterfly. I didn't want this ring to have a restrictive and thick ring band.

Details and embellishments on the back.

"just living is not enough" said the butterfly

"one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower" ~ Hans Christian Andersen

Sunshine, indeed.

It will be posted in my Etsy shop tomorrow.