Carnelian Neckpiece
Sunday, March 4th, 2007
One of the new wire wrap designs that I did for my booth last fall was a neckpiece/collar design that I discovered in Step by Step Wire. I used the tutorial as a starting point and then went on to use my own materials and created a series of necklaces that were unique to me.
The double drilled carnelian stones were the first challenge of this project. The holes were too small for the thicker gauge of wire that I was using for the frame of the neckpiece. Since they are the supports of the collar, the wire absolutely had to go through the stones. I ended up using my dremel with new diamond bits for it and teach myself how to drill stones. After many false starts, I figured out a technique of drilling the stones under water that worked quickly and prevented the stones from cracking. Once the torque was wrapped and the ends hammered, I made a byzantine chain for the necklace and a big loop, hammered clasp to finish it. The necklace is 18″ in length, but can be shortened to choker length. The carnelian stones have agate banding in the large focal beads and are a tomato red hue.
Update: This item has sold. Thank you!