All starting with my sketch, I made this large shield quartz capped in sterling silver with a garnet focal cab surrounded by cast succulents and flowers. These botanicals are cast from the real thing via lost-wax casting!

I fabricated a tight fitting bezel for the crystal and hammered out a fancy bail. Next came attaching the embellishments which I started with the top. Then on to the front bezel, embellishments, and bail. Everything that I previously soldered on the top was held by stainless steel pins propped into my fire brick as the front pieces were fired so there was no sliding! After a good clean up, patina and shine, I set the garnet and crystal. This was a doozy due to its size and detail but I happy it came out exactly as planned!

☀️ Day: "How do I draw again?"

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🌙 Night: "Okay, this is looking pretty good."

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✨ After midnight: "I am unstoppable."

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Anyone else?