Creating a Custom (Part 1)
We recently had a customer contact us about making a custom with no conditions other than to utilize topaz & black onyx. I thought this would be a great opportunity to document the creation of a piece, so you can see how we work.
We were very thankful to have such a trusting custom request. Highly specific customs can push you to think differently, but personally my favorite way to create is without restrictions.
We decided to collaborate with each other of this piece, and I have taken photos along the way. I, (Meg) have started the first half of the pendant, and plan to hand it off to Drew. So he will be posting the Part 2 of this tutorial.
Drawing up the design.
This is important in order to have a clear view of how the project will turn out. Sometimes things end up turning out differently, but for the most part, having a drawing will guide you to completion.
We really enjoyed the flow of this design. It has a symmetrical top, but an asymmetrical bottom, with a ton of balance. We have a shipment of trillion cuts on the way, so we’ll be adding in that blue topaz trillion when we can.
Creating the frame.
We were able to salvage an unused frame for this project. With the addition of two bars, this made for a good shape with plenty of tie off room for the piece.
A good frame needs:
Space to hold the gems
Space for tie off points
This is why it’s a good idea to draw out your design and frame. You can visualize where the tie off room will need to be. Soldering frames allows for more surface area to tie off onto, although soldered frames aren’t always necessary.
If you’re interested in a step by step guide for creating frames, check out our Frame Tutorial.
Adding components.
I’ve attached the first small coil here using
21g base wire
24g round wire
30g round threading wire
A step-by-step guide on how to create this coil can be found in our basic coil tutorial.
Adding bulk
Begin adding the bulk of the coiling.
Due to the frame, I’ve decided by this point to add more/longer coils at the lower left part of this design, to cover ground without changing too much of the original design.
Adding Color (optional)
In our original design we thought bits of gold would look fantastic with the dark silver/black onyx color scheme.
Embellishing
Embellishing is what really takes a piece to the next level. (Don’t forget to embellishing your coils with threading wire or something else. This may be a personal preference, but they always look incomplete without it.)
Weaves, single coils, and bare wires are added to the parts where coils touch. It adds depth.
This is the point where I’ll be handing this off to Drew to work on and complete. So check out Part 2 of this tutorial by him! Thanks for looking, and I hope this helps you visualize how we go about creating a piece. Feel free to leave a comment!
Thanks,
Meg
