Pine Seed Pod Pendant

I gathered seed pods from a large pine cone near my college classroom. I found the texture beautiful. I painted the seed pod 10 times with pure silver paste. The pod was dried completely in between each coat and then fired in a kiln at 1645 F. The organic seed pod burned off and what was left was pure 999 silver.

I burnished the silver seed pod with 24K gold foil to fuse the 2 metals. This process is called Keum Boo. I painted on some patina to get the blue color I like. The mixed metal look with the blue is quite arresting and would look quite handsome on anyone. It has a shimmery look on one side and a gleaming silver look on the other so it could be worn either way.

Dimensions: 1 and 3/4 inch X 1 inch. Sterling silver snake chain 16 inches.