{"id":8,"date":"2013-10-25T20:18:59","date_gmt":"2013-10-25T20:18:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/userblogs.ganoksin.com\/richardpaillejewelry\/?p=8"},"modified":"2013-10-26T20:20:57","modified_gmt":"2013-10-26T20:20:57","slug":"8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/userblogs.ganoksin.com\/richardpaillejewelry\/2013\/10\/25\/8\/","title":{"rendered":"“Fire Down Under”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maybe something Orchid [Forum] members would consider?\u00a0<\/i>A\u00a0<\/i>monthly\u00a0<\/i>“Show & Tell”\u00a0<\/i>featuring the current birthstone(s). I’m not suggesting to post a gallery, just a photo or two with a brief description of h<\/span>ow a piece was made. Include any tips or technical info you believe would be helpful or of interest.\u00a0<\/span>Would have had my opal post up sooner but it\u2019s taken awhile to arrange the Blog.<\/span><\/p>\n

A<\/span>n October \u2018Opal\u2019 project:<\/strong> Look forward to seeing other people\u2019s work linked to Forum posts.<\/span><\/p>\n

I<\/span> did a couple sketches then hand carved waxes for the 4, side pieces & bail. All waxes were cast as individual elements. Carvings were hollowed prior to casting to reduce pendant weight. Stainless shot burnishing followed casting. (The opal bezel was Torch\u00a0*<\/b><\/span>welded closed to eliminate any solder seam that might appear when the side pieces were added.) <\/span>Side pieces were backed and arranged around the opal bezel then all elements soldered together. Diamond bezels were set prior to being soldering on. The entire piece was satin finished then textured on front areas with a modified hammer tip that screws into my hammer hand piece. Outside engraving was done to add more texture and sparkle. Opal bezel had a roller coaster profile that followed the uneven opal height and added visual interest. (roller coaster effect not visible in this image)<\/em> Bright cuts were added to all bezels. 18KY, 6.4 carat Australian opal, .65 ct. dia. t.w. Finished piece about 1 5\/8 (42mm) high. <\/span>
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

One of nicest opals I\u2019ve worked with during my career. Currently I\u2019m doing a couple more pendants with similar size opals for inventory.<\/span><\/p>\n

*<\/b><\/span>Welding (similar to fusing)<\/em> thin gauge bezel material, as I did in this piece, is much easier using natural gas or propane (with oxygen)<\/i> vs. acetylene which burns with too concentrated a central flame. As the owner of Paige Tools<\/a> I use our multi-port Tips on a Meco for precision flame adjustment. Paige Tips are \u201cicing-on-the-cake\u201d<\/i> so to speak allowing a quality Torch to correctly burn propane or natural gas and make soldering (even welding)<\/em> almost as easy as \u2018pie.\u2019<\/i>
\n(Guess I like deserts!)<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

$\"BlackOpal-R.Paille\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"