This week I wanted to create a signature piece of jewelry, one that would epitomize my work. I've made several small pendants lately, but I decided I needed a necklace composed of multiple links. I pulled out the sketchbook and riffed on lots of recent ideas, including the triangular and cloud shapes of recent brooches. None of them looked right.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjPBybg4qjALlrgTuMwGvxu2Mxw0u8IiRd7L8_0hhIrZ9OWFMHsIuQkYJ6ge-SriJ6T7GlOce4fto1yP1TO6YhNfCVVHEX2fq3YFzMbKT6Rdl9bwN7xCOao3tFo0_iXawGrp5vdQ/s320/Flock+Necklace+sketch.jpg) |
Flock necklace sketch
©2012 Vickie Hallmark |
As I chatted online with my friend,
Lora Hart, she suggested that I use the pillow shape I mentioned just yesterday in my earring variations. What insight! How obvious in retrospect! That ability to cut right to the heart of the matter is why she's a great mentor (check out her her
Mentorial if you need your own pop of insight). I quickly abandoned Skype and sketched a rough idea of the idea.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IBFpixlPdr6T_f7PbIEAROPj2j5UalfUa9Ja28ZpR82IkBz-tDiSDn40Lil8ZZEOIHAnVfGjNRQtn5QF8Yh4gAkwJlNMbJQf68198bvztRyIAR2eBNfinRh8Ndc77Gw2mmAWBQ/s320/Flock+necklace+templates.jpg) |
Flock necklace templates
©2012 Vickie Hallmark |
Then I pulled out the index cards, cutting at least three variations (different colors) until I got the proportion just right. After more than an hour of intense work, I finally moved to metal clay.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGN-8JmCQoKqfp3OV_oTPa5pZHo3cjxTp2zWhUAd1tKIVaVlW1TllmCmDefvnhbKhb4tnIRJR7H9EiWlQvH4exkM43dxPU9VVAr1mzUOD84qR99yn5adaos5J1cENfmqZ9Jr2TOQ/s320/Flock+Necklace+before+firing+700x500.jpg) |
Flock necklace, ready for firing
©2012 Vickie Hallmark
sterling silver clay |
Twelve hours later (!), I gave up on the idea of stones, since I didn't have what I wanted in the stash, and committed the sterling clay greenware to the kiln in its first, open shelf firing. This morning, I buried it all in carbon and restarted the kiln for sintering. Why didn't I think to build it in fine silver clay, which always fires perfectly?? Please, kiln gods -- fire my sterling clay perfectly!