"Isabella" ...What a beautiful name.

A great guy from Italy has asked me to make a one-of-a-kind Cymbidium Orchid Pendant. He has chosen this picture for me to sculpt by...I personally think it's a wonderful choice and obviously there is a special meaning to this flower.

I can't wait to get started on this piece...the Cymbidium Orchid is an absolutely beautiful flower and adding one of these pearls below to the center is going to be striking!

He has named this piece, "Isabella" and what a beautiful name to go with such a beautiful flower.

I searched out for a 7.5mm Black Pearl and these are the two that were sent to me to pick from. They are both so beautiful that I will add one to the center of the Cymbidium Orchid and probably make an Orchid ring with the other one...only time will tell.

I will have two suprises for this piece...I hope you will keep an eye on Isabella.

Update: Showing my work in wax can be scary and this is no exception but I'm keeping my client on top of things and this is the next step before casting. Once cast she will have several finishes including sandblasting to give her a soft glow and polished on parts of the lip (tongue part) to show the detail in the cymbidium. I'm crossing my finger on this...but I feel the detail will be worth the extra work.

Well she is finished! The Black Pearl adds a beautiful touch to this piece.

Phalaenopsis Orchid Necklace is FINISHED!

She's Finished!

This piece is a Limited Edition Only. It will be 1 of 12 and this piece is Number 1. The Orchid Necklace, 2 of 12 is in Brazil. It was given as a gift by my mentor, Volker Kracht, a Master Jewelry & Artist who hand delivered the piece.
I am anxiously waiting his return to find out more about the one on the receiving end. I will keep you informed.
This was a design I've had for about 1 year...but procrastinated because I knew that the cost & time for making the first one would be enormous...plus I wanted to put a few more projects under my belt before I started sculpting this necklace. Once sculpted & cast, it took us more than 5 months to complete this necklace.
Now about this necklace: It has incredible accurate detail and was designed to wear comfortably. I have taken this piece to my Botanical Show last week and everyone who tried it on was amazed on how light the necklace was...and when they did try it on, the look on their face was priceless. It was as though they had stepped out onto the red carpet.
It has 3 Phalaenopsis Orchids, 17 buds and 33 leaves.
Each leaf in the necklace has movement, making this necklace flexible and adjustable, allowing us to add or remove leaves to adjust the length for a custom fit.
The necklace is Argentium Sterling Silver 925 and is stamped and has the "DV" logo. The Clasp is a very strong hidden clasp and was beautifully hidden under the leaves.
I am in the process of finishing up the matching "Phala" Orchid Bracelet and Ring.
Leaf Earrings are available in two different sizes.
As always, additional photos are available or visit my Ruby Lane Shop for additional Photos.

You can always Call or E-mail me for additional Information.

Hand Sculpted Phalaenopsis Orchid Pendant

Phalaenopsis Orchid

From the Greek Phalaina (meaning "moth") and opsis (meaning "appearance")
I sculpted this Orchid from a book called "Growing Successful Orchids" by Mark Isaac-Williams. The orchids name is called P. "Little Hal" so it's only fitting that we give credit to the grower of this beautiful orchid and call it "Little Hal"

This pendant brings elegance to my new Orchid Collection.

This orchid is available in Sterling Silver although it can be ordered in 14kt or 18kt Gold. Pendant measures 1 1/4" x 1. 1/4"
The 18" Chain is a 2.6 mm Sterling Silver Byzantine Chain made in Italy.

I hand Sculpted each Orchid using the method called Lost Wax which allows me add the detail I want in each piece.
This Pendant can be purchase without the Chain.

Small Pendant: 1.25" Pendant with 18" Byzantine Chain

$145.00

This Pendant is available without the Chain.

Pendant Only Cost: $89.00

Click on link to purchase this piece or e-mail me to reserve one.

http://www.rubylane.com/shops/dawnv/item/SPCO-177

Custom Designs

How I start a Custom Design...

I'm in the process of designing a new Bangle for one of my clients. I was asked to design a new bangle based on one of my smaller bracelets sold in my Ruby Lane Shop. Here is the letter I received...

...This bracelet is wonderful, as are all of your designs. Can you give me an idea of what kind of ballpark $$ on having 2 and/or 3 of these made? I would like the sterling and differences in individual designs. I really like heaver jewelry.I would want you to choose the particulars of the appearance. I am not opposed to stones, patination, use of and inclusion of different metals, etc. Please forgive me for my endless questions and be assured that as this would be a purchase for my use, there would be no time constraints. Thank you for the help and I hope this is and will be a beautiful season for you.

Based on my original Leaf Bangle and her request, I designed this bangle for her. I was planning on 2 or 3 bangles like the one I designed to the right but each having their own unique design.

I like the design but was concerned about her width after further discussion. She was looking for a Bangle that was about 2" if not wider so I redesigned this bangle to one large bangle instead of three.

This (to the left) is just one bangle measuring 2.25" wide. I want to use several stones that sit next to the stems. Some of the stones that I'm considering 5 or 6 stones such as Citrine (yellow), Amethyst (purple), Topaz (blue), Tourmaline (Pink)

I would like to also incorporate 14K or 18k into this bracelet. Possible gold surrounding the stones.

But to get an accurate price, sometimes you have to spend a little more time on the piece. So I'll take you on one of my projects from start to finish.

At 9:45 am I started to lay out the stems for this bracelet. The process I use is called Lost Wax. I actually sculpt wax to make the piece. At 6:45 pm...this is what I had. It's only half finished but this will give me a good idea about the weight, cost and of course, how the bracelet will look once cast in Sterling Silver.

I have a lot of shipping to do today but I will continue to form this piece tomorrow so that I can get a weight from the wax to converted to the weight in silver.

I hope all of you find this interesting, I personally think it's all pretty amazing!

Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow! I will be starting another project at the same time. This is an amazing piece that has a wonderful story behind it.

Dawn