A Brooch with Star Quality
"... the universe cannot be contained and is ever expanding.
And so is my learning.
-Claudia Ender
Often when designing on commission, I like to start with a theme. In this case, my client wanted something spacey – a truly out of this world brooch to celebrate his 40+ years as a creative director. His challenge had me reaching for the stars in more ways than one. Drawings are one thing. Bringing a technical vision such as this to fruition is a true engineering project.
In order to create this small universe I sought technical advice from my jeweler, stone cutter, and setter on how to best set the beautiful lapis that serves as the cosmos, with an overlapping bezel set moonstone.
There are tolerance levels as to how thin you can cut something or how close to the edge you can drill a hole without breaking the stone. Sometimes the design needs to be adjusted to make all the parts work as it did in this project.
After several meetings we decided to set the lapis from the back so the moonstone could be set on top of the frame. Then I started carving, exploring several versions in search of just the right proportions.
The lapis was cut from a rough slab. Initially there were more white portions within the lapis like clouds, however when cut flat and polished that layer was removed. But with that unexpected loss came a gift – the emergence of even more pyrite flecks making the sky awash in stardust.
A hole for each stone was then drilled to compose the constellation. These were bezel set and polished before being adhered into the lapis.
My original sketch had an opening where the sky and stars fall right out of frame. Structurally this needed to be altered in the end, but the illusion remains with the stars reaching out over the frame.
As we know, the universe cannot be contained and is ever expanding. And so is my learning. New designs are often an experiment with new techniques, stones, and structure all at once. I’m grateful, as always, to have the clients and collaborators that allow me the chance to go to new places with my work.
May your holidays be a peaceful reflection of where you find yourself in the great order of the cosmos. And wishing you a 2023 that is truly out of this world. See you in the New Year!
xoxo
