Sterling Silver Circular Pendant
Holiday Season 2007 Jewelry Making Project
Make an elemental circular design sterling silver pendant necklace for yourself or to give as a holiday present. Instructions are given for basic to advanced levels.
The holiday season is fast approaching. The day after American Thanksgiving is the traditional day to start shopping for Christmas and Kwanzaa. However, if you are shopping for Hanukkah presents, it is not too early to start.
Giving artisan handcrafted jewelry as a gift to a loved one or close friend truly shows that you care. Since artisan-crafted jewelry is not mass-produced, you are giving a unique piece of wearable art.
This holiday season show you care by handcrafting this elemental circle design pendant necklace. The instructions to make this sterling silver pendant will be given at three different experience levels: basic, absolutely beginner level, medium and advanced metalworking. The finished product shown on this page is an example of the basic instructions.
Circular Pendant Supplies List:
The sterling silver material needed to handcraft this pendant has previously been published via a blog. This basic level pendant will also require the following supplies:
- Hammer and medium size nail.
- Small craft file. A set of five can be purchased at most craft stores for less than $3.
- 30 inches of black cord or cable style sterling silver chain. Both the chain and the cord should be 1.5mm or less in width/diameter. It is recommended that if using a sterling silver chain, it should be at least 18 inches in length.
- Sterling silver polish
- Optional - steel wool for buffing.
Circular Pendant Instructions:
Place the sterling silver disc on a hard, flat surface and hammer the nail through the disc, creating a hole near the edge of the disc. See Image #2. The great thing about working with a round shape is the fact that it is not necessary to take detailed measurements to center the hole. With a circle shape, anywhere the hole is placed will act as the center of the pendant.
Using your miniature file, gently file the back of the hole down until there are no rough edges. It will be impossible to file the back side of the hole completely flat. The objective here is to remove any sharp edges that can potentially irritate the wearer.
After the back of the pendant is smooth, polish both sides of the pendant with silver polish following the instrucitons given on the bottle. If a brushed metal finish is desired, rub the pendant on both sides with a piece of steel wool. The pendant shown on this page has been buffed with steel wool.
To thread the black cord or sterling silver chain, pinch the midpoint of the cord/chain and thread through the hole in the pendant as shown in Image 3. This action is done back to front. To finish the pendant assembly, insert the loose ends of the black cord through the threaded section and pull up. Reference Image #4.
Even without further processing, this pendant is extremely attractive. The sterling silver pendant looks quite expensive when combined with the black cord. Designer versions of this necklace sell for $425 at Tiffany & Co.
The next article in this series will continue with medium level instructions for this pendant. The third article in the series will show the advanced level instructions and show how to finish the black cord.
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