My Heart Cries an Ocean Without You

Last Christmas my sister gave me a lovely strand of sea glass green chalcedony top-drilled beads. I have finally made her a piece of jewelry using three of the gemstone beads. My sister and I have been separated by the Pacific Ocean for about 15 years with only a few visits in all those years, so I thought this pendant I designed for her will be a sentimental gift that will remind her of me. I hope she likes it and can see the symbolism of the open heart and ocean-colored tears. Maybe I will have to tell her the title of the piece. I used 18 gauge soft round gold-filled wire (about 6") and shaped the pendant with pliers/fingers. Using a jewelry hammer and anvil I flattened the wire making sure not to hammer where the wires crossed (causing too much stress). The teardrop beads were wired on with 24 gauge round HH gold-filled wire. All of the materials and tools for this piece are available at Ben Franklin Crafts except perhaps for the chalcedony teardrops from my sister. If you are interested in getting started in making wire-worked jewelry, a piece like this is a good place to begin. Brass or copper wire is probably more economical to practice with and there are some new plated and silver-filled wire which can be a good money-saving substitute for sterling silver. Well, thanks for reading this blog and perhaps it's given you an interest in wire-work jewelry making. Learn something new everyday and keep your mind young!