Black onyx oval cabochon pendant

This is another from the ambitious Christmas that yielded the carnelian pear-shaped cabochon pendant and the hammered silver cutout pendant.

Like other designs, the back of the setting was cut from sterling silver sheet. The bezel was made from a flat bezel wire. After the bezel was soldered to the back, the excess silver sheet was trimmed off with a jeweler's saw. The back was cut right up to the bezel. and after sanding and polishing the result is a seamless silver cup that perfectly fits the stone. A twisted pattern wire was then bent to follow the curve of the oval, wrapping the bezel cup and splitting at the top to form the bail. The patterned wire was straightened and sanded to remove the pattern, visually separating the bail from the setting--even though it is very much a part of the design.

The flat-backed stone was pressed into place and the bezel was pushed over the stone and burnished. There is no patina on this piece. Over time, a patina will form where light polishing can't get to it--around the twists of the pattern wire, next to the bezel. This will effectively antique the piece and give it more character than I could hope to fabricate.