This enamel and cloisonne butterfly pendant took sooo much work to make! There were a lot of mistakes made, and a lot of trial and error involved, but huzzah, it's finished! This thing gave me so much trouble that I nicknamed it "My Damn Butterfly" (like Madame Butterly, geddit? Haha).
I did not actually saw out the butterfly shape. I used a ready-made 24 gauge copper stamp. I figured that I could save myself a step in the process and make a few at once. I was wrong.
My first challenge involved balancing the butterfly on the trivet that's used for firing the enamel. I chose the smallest sized trivet, but when I tried to fire the pendant with a torch, it kept slipping off the trivet ... and the enamel kept cracking. I had to chip it off and reapply.
After three tries, I gave up and fired the pendant in the kiln. Happily, it stayed on the trivet and the enamel glossed over evenly.
Next, I had to add the cloisonne wire. I *almost* had this, except a piece fell off during the firing in the kiln and I had to do it over.
Finally, I hand painted it with colored enamel. Meanwhile, I also made a circular pendant with a cloisonne flower that took less time and was coming along great. And then I overfired that in the kiln. Dammit! The kiln usually fires low, but only three people showed up to class yesterday (guess most were not interested in spending a 95 degree F day working with a 1500 degree F kiln). Therefore, it was firing at a normal temperature and I didn't take much time. I should've left my flower in for 60 seconds, but I left it for 90 ... and the entire thing melted into an ugly mess. Anyway, I was determined to NOT melt My Damn Butterfly, so I carefully counted seconds and checked in after every 30. And it came out (though it stuck to the trivet and I had to carefully detach it)! Woo hoo! Here are some more views:
That silver wire wrapped chain is made from 18 gauge wire. I made it adjustable since I'm offering this necklace for kids. If it's adjusable, a child can wear it for a while since there's room in the chain for some growth.
You'd think that I've learned my lesson about enameling odd shapes, but I do like the look of this butterfly. It's cute, right? Only next time, I think I'll make my own.
To purchase my jewellery, head to Naomi's Designs. To purchase my children's jewelry, head to MayaGirl Creations.
