Pendant Etched Heart

This design is from one of my Indian books. It has little hearts down the center as well as around the rim of the larger heart pendant.

Etching is a fun but time-consuming process. I start out with sheet silver, then print the pattern on special paper. I burnish the design onto the heated metal and then peel off the paper. The silver sheet is then floated on an acid bath where the exposed metal gets etched with the pattern. The silver is neutralized in a bath and the special blue paper for the design is scrubbed off with a solvent. The piece is cut out of the sheet using a jeweler's saw, refined and polished.

In this case I burnished 24K Gold foil on 3 of the hearts using a technique called Keum boo. I painted patina on parts of the pattern to give more definition and color.

This is a statement piece which connotes love in many ways.

Dimensions: 2 inches X 1 and 1/2 inches. Sterling silver snake chain 18".