A Sweet Summer Day

One sunny day many summers before Alzheimer's ultimately took away her memories, my sister and I visited with our beloved paternal grandmother.

She showed us countless pictures, cards, and letters from family members we had not seen in many years. It seemed to me on that day that she already had a premonition of what was to come. She was holding on so tightly to anything that would preserve her precious memories of the family she treasured above all else.

She seemed to know long before she was diagnosed with this illness, what her destiny would be. Her life was entirely devoted to giving her all to her husband and nine children. Her pride and joy were her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. An inner voice told her to enjoy those memories and share them with those she loved so that they would not be lost forever.

I've often thought back to that day. It was just the three of us, so our visit was quiet and unhurried. We listened as she talked about ironing stacks of blue jeans for her boys. She told us about getting up early in the morning and starting the fire in the stove in the kitchen so that when everyone got up, the kitchen would be warm for them and breakfast would almost be ready.

I'm so glad I thought to ask her where we came from. She looked at me as if no one had ever asked that of her before. "Where did our people come from? Do you know which country?" She smiled and shared the story of how her grandfather stowed away on a ship with only a few coins in his pocket and no knowledge of English. He was only fourteen years old when he and a sixteen-year-old uncle set off on the greatest adventure of their lives aboard a ship bound for the new world. They left behind their whole family in Norway, knowing they might never see them again, to find a better life in America.

Many years have passed since that day and our sweet visit with our grandmother. She just turned ninety-six years old a few days ago. She no longer knows who we are or even who she is. My sister and I are getting older too. I wanted to share this story with all those who descended from this wonderful lady so that you may share it with your children someday.

Rest in peace, dear sweet lady.

Pendant Lesson Using Raw Brass

Functional elements such as bails and clasps are required in every project to make the piece wearable. Consider a pendant without a bail, for example. The pendant would not face forward if you simply threaded a ribbon or chain through its loop. Standard loops are attached to the top of the setting with the hole facing the same way as the setting, so a bail is needed to join the chain to the pendant loop. A bail is often the least attractive component in an otherwise fabulous design. A pretty pendant is missing something if only a simple large, rather ugly jump ring is used as a bail.

Failing to consider these elements' style can ruin the balance of an otherwise beautiful piece of jewelry. I believe that every part should complement the main focal point. As in architecture and interior design, some periods blend well and those which simply do not.

In this lesson, I've included some of the new raw brass pieces which just arrived. Raw brass is a great base metal that allows you to experiment with design elements, patinas, and even soldering if you wish.

The items pictured above were joined to form the base for a dramatic pendant. The long narrow embossed piece was formed into the shape of a bail and joined to the triangle with a loop and the openwork oval. I trimmed away some of the wide flat end so that it wouldn't interfere with the lie of the next piece.

I added a smaller oval filigree to the back to both cover the glue and reinforce the point where the pieces were joined. Remember to make the back of your piece as pretty as the front.

When you are happy with the basic shape of the pendant you have created, let the glue set for a full 24 hours. If you add stones to your pendant, you should add settings or bezels to hold the stones. Proper mounts or settings not only protect the stones but also add a finished, more professional look to your work.

Ensure the settings have a level place to rest. You may have to add a few more elements to the base for stability. The openwork square was the right shape to give the setting a more solid fit.

The next step will include adding patina, so the glue must have enough time to completely cure. I used E6000 glue, so I allowed the project to air dry for a full day before proceeding.

In this case, the aged patina is achieved by using flat black craft paint. You can experiment with numerous colors of paint, but I like the look of aged gilt. I applied paint to the whole piece and right away used an old cloth to wipe away most of the paint. The next step is to use a soft toothbrush to remove even more of the paint.

When you have achieved the level of antiquing you desire, you must seal the brass to preserve the finish. You can use several products for this, but our Renaissance wax polish is among the best for this purpose. Raw brass is great for manipulating and adding your own patinas, but if you fail to seal the piece, it will eventually turn to colors you may not like.

Now that you have assembled antiqued and sealed your pendant, you may add the beading, stones, and chain. Your work of art is ready to enjoy.

(List of materials by item number used in this project from http://www.vintagejewelrysupplies.com/)

R126A



Click on the image to enlarge.

T134A

T138A

A349R

G32R

M17R

S141R

W82R

R559

R257

T105A

L26

S27

T23

T105A

T208A
A04

WX65