Hello lovely people, today I am participating in the lovely Sally Russick's blog hop, Creating with Cabochons.
So cabs, it would seem are just as addictive as beads with all there beautiful shiny loveliness and I may possibly have been building up a bit of a hoard so what better excuse then a blog hop to actually
use some of them!
Here's a little peep into some of my preciousess....
The cute little shiny ones.
The designer hand cut special ones.
Even some artisan made stunning ones!
Yes so I have issues with my hoarding tendencies it would seem, but they are not the only problems I was going to have during this post!
I signed up with the idea of using one or more of my special cab's, see I have ideas for most of them but not always the courage/skills to make what it is I envision, so this was the perfect excuse to just get on with it!
This little beauty is one of my favourites, a beautiful Prehnite 19mm x 13mm and 7mm tall, perfectly petite and such a lovely colour. The plan for this stone was that it would become a beautiful pendent, wrapped in a 9ct gold bezel with a backing plate of silver for a lovely contrast, with a beautiful question mark shaped bail on the back like the amazing Lexi Ericson shows on her DVD!
The plan did not work out!
I had a 'Do Not Solder Day' one of the days that no matter what you do, it dose not work!
Normally at the first signs of one of those days I would walk away and try again another day, but this time I was on a dead line and persistence is key, right?? Wrong!!!
It would seem gold bezel is very different to silver bezel, it is very stiff and hard to shape. My first attempt at a bezel was too big, but no problem I just cut a small section out and re soldered it, but then it was too small, that's was fine tho, it was just a little small and I could stretch it to make it fit. After 30 minutes of trying to slowly stretch it, it fit! A beautiful snug fit that I then could not get off!
Still I was on a mission, so I stretched it a tiny bit more and finally had the perfect fit, then while cleaning it up I dropped it in the bin, yep in the bin, a whole bin full of rubbish. At this point I should have given up but it was the only piece of gold bezel I had and I was not letting the bin keep it so I waded through the mound of horrid rubbish, taking out one piece at a time until at the very end I found my shiny piece of gold then I cleaned it up and cut out the back plate and tried to solder the two together.... it did not work, but that's OK I love a challenge so I cleaned it all up again and gave it a second try..... Nope, not working, but hey I don't like gold that much any ways so I will just make up a silver setting.....or not, because on a Do Not Solder Day, I just can not solder, Fact!!!
But rather then leaving you with a failed attempt and a pile of blackened metal I though I would show you the other cab pieces I have managed to create this month....
Hare treasure locket, with a moonstone cab and
Stacker ring with tiny 4mm peridot cab and lampwork daisy by the amazing Jen Cameron of Glass Addictions.
Luckily 'Do Not Solder Days' are few and far between! I do hope you will join me in seeing what the other participants have created, and thank you Sally for hosting this great challenge (I have not completely given up on my pendent and shall try again)!
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