Pendant Etched Sun In Star

This Indian design was etched onto sterling silver.

Etching has several steps. The black and white design is copied onto blue Press and Peel or PNP paper. This is burnished onto heated sheet sterling silver which is floated upside down in an acid bath which is agitated and kept warm. The acid eats into the unprotected part of the silver. It takes 30-45 for a deep enough etch. The silver is neutralized in a alkaline bath and then cleaned to remove the blue PNP paper. After cleaning and polishing some more, the piece is cut out of the silver sheet using a jeweler's saw. I depletion gild the silver by heating it numerous times and cleaning it in a solution of mild acid each time. This allows me to burnish portions of it with 24K Gold Foil, an ancient Korean technique called Keum Boo.

In this case the center of the pattern was burnished with 24K Gold. The Star like pattern was painted with patina for color accent. The outer rim was left shiny silver.

Dimensions : 1 and 1/2 inch diameter. 18 " sterling silver snake chain.