Flower Pendants Start to Finish

I am in production mode, as you can see. I am getting ready for the Boston Handmade Marketplace show in Somerville.

I thought I would take some pictures of the process of piercing. Everyone likes start to finishes, right? These are freehand flowers as you can see from the first photo, I only drew an outline for where I want the stamens, the rest was left to chance.

First I make a divot where I am going to drill. I have also drilled out a hole for the bale. The first pendant does not have the petal holes drilled yet.

Then I use the smallest drill bit I have to drill the holes out.

I thread the saw blade through the hole and start piercing out the petal.

I keep removing the blade and re-inserting it into the next petal hole and pierce out the whole flower this way.

Then I get into the petals with needle files and smooth out all the edges and then sand them until all the tool marks are out and they are nice.

I coiled up some 14gauge 1/2 round wire on a 4.5mm mandrel and cut them just like jumprings with my jumpring cutter, and then soldered them closed in the holes I drilled out earlier.


Now I only have to string them onto a chain or cord.
I think I got pretty good at making them. I can see the progress if I really study the photos of them all together. I'll definitely be making more of these.