It wouldn’t be Christmas in my world without special orders. I’ve limited myself to just a few after December 1 since I knew I’d be busy with finals and shows. Of course, I received a couple of phone calls after WinterFest wanting special items so I relented. One is for a good friend who I’ve known since grade school, so I couldn’t say no. The biggie is a cloisonne pendant for a good customer who wanted something really unique for his wife. I love creating new things so I jumped at the challenge. The enamel work came together beautifully and I began work on the setting. Naturally, things were going too smoothly. Saturday, I went to fit the enamel to the bezel and the enameled piece got stuck. Really stuck. It wouldn’t move. I panicked. All I could think about was how I was either going to accidentally ruin the enamel or I’d have to trash the bezel to get the damned thing out. I took a break then went back to it. Thankfully, it popped out with little harm to the enamel. All I have to do is re-fire it to get the scratches out of the back from where I poked at it with my file. Tomorrow’s the big day when I attempt to finish it. Wish me luck! I’ll be really glad when it’s boxed up and out of my hands.
Pretty Pretty Bang Bang 