Silver And Gold Cross With Lapis Lazuli

The texture for this cross is very detailed and beautiful. The template was pressed into silver clay which took on all the intricacies of the art. The dried cross was refined with a flexible sanding pad. A decorative Baile was attached to the upper end of the cross using syringe clay for the chain to go through. A serrated bezel was attached using syringe clay, in the center of the cross to accommodate a lapis stone after firing.

The cross was fired in a 1650F Kiln for 2 hours. What came out was pure silver. This was burnished at the edges with 24K Gold Foil, an ancient Korean technique called Keum Boo. Patina was painted on for accent. The Lapis Lazuli cabochon was tapped into the Bezel which was then secured.

The combination of the silver, gold, patina and the Royal blue of the Lapis Lazuli are truly stunning. Lapis was used in the jewelry of Tutankhamen and is used in religious art because of it's royal blue beauty and appearance of streaks of gold which are actually pyrite.

Dimensions : 1 and 1/2 inches X almost 1 inch. Sterling silver chain