Handmade out of solid sterling silver this botanical teardrop pendant features a tiny white freshwater pearl. Inspired by my garden and wildflowers I create each component by hand to construct a tiny garden you can wear!
Teardrop Botanical Pendant // One of a Kind
♢ Solid sterling silver (100% recycled)
♢ The cup shape flower that holds the freshwater pearl is water cast, and the process creates these beautiful natural formed shape, full of texture. To start I gather all my sterling silver I plan on using and melt it down to over 1700 ℉. When the silver is nice and liquid I carefully pour it into water. As the molten metal hits the surface it sizzles and freezes in place, capturing the moment when the silver is transformed, like a raindrop frozen in time.
♢ The leaves are created in metal clay, which is made up of tiny, recycled sterling silver metal particles mixed with and organic clay like binder. It can be sculpted, molded, and formed however I want. For this design I have hand sculpted each leaf they are literally one of a kind. After the designs dry 100%, into my kiln they go for a two-part firing process. The clay reaches 1500℉ for about an hour and the organic binder burns completely away leaving tiny solid sterling silver botanical elements I can play around with for my designs.
♢ The frame, bail, backplate and sprouts and dew drops are all hand constructed from Argentium sterling silver. Argentium silver is a cleaner type of silver – both for me and the environment. It has a slightly higher fine silver content then traditional silver (93.5% compared to sterling’s 92.5%.) Made from recycled traditional silver it is a great choice both ethically and environmentally. Alloyed with hypo allergenic germanium it fuses beautifully and is fun to work with! Argentium silver allows me to work safer in the studio, by eliminating toxic flux and pickle fumes. I love working with Argentium silver and I am excited to present to you a silver that is cleaner and of a higher quality then traditional sterling silver.
♢ The back features my signature MP (trademarked) and a 925 sterling silver quality stamp. It is polished smooth.
♢ I apply a dark patina to the recessed areas of the pendant and it goes into my tumbler with steel shot to harden and polish the surface. The high points are polished to a bright shine, creating a beautiful contrast. This contrast between dark and light is what sterling silver is famous for!
♢ The process of creating is slow and intentional, I use traditional metalsmithing tools and processes alongside modern ones to create all my pieces by hand. My heart goes into every single piece I design.
