Lotus is a flower that is loved in India for it's beauty, plus the fact that it grows in mud in ponds. It is said to be Buddha's favorite flower. In Buddhist temples in Thailand we saw fresh lotus buds given in offering. Rich people gave offerings of gilded lotus. Lotus is called Kamal in India. This particular Lotus is etched onto sterling silver.
Etching is a fun, but time consuming process. You start out with sheet silver. You choose your pattern, and print it on special paper. You burnish the design on to the heated metal and then peel off the paper. The silver sheet is then floated on an acid bath. The exposed metal gets etched with the selected pattern. The metal is neutralized in a bath. The blue paper is scrubbed off with a solvent.
This particular lotus came out of the bath with a lot of texture. After sawing it out with a jeweler's saw it was filed, sanded and the edges were refined till they were smooth. It was polished then painted with patina.
Dimensions : 2 inches X 1 and 3/4 inches at the widest part. Sterling silver snake chain 18 inches.