Anniversary Interlocking Pendants

This was a really fun project to work on!

My client wanted a pendant set for his partner and himself to commemorate their anniversary. He wanted them to fit together or interlock in some way. He really knows how to make me work :-)

I started to sketch and came up with lots of initial ideas of a masculine and a feminine pendant that would slot or fit together. I showed them to my client and we agreed on a design using leaves and tendrils to reflect their interest in gardening - when the pendants are placed together end to end they reveal a hidden heart. He liked the idea that there was a heart but it was not obvious to everyone else.

Sketchbook ideas

Making the pieces took a while - I used sheet silver and gold, and silver and gold wires. I had to saw the silver and gold sheet to make the rectangle pendant bases and leaves, file all the edges, file and beat the wire tendrils, shape the wire tendrils, create the bails from silver wire, solder all the pieces carefully together in sections, and then polish them intricately. I then used chemicals to darken the silver and polished most of it off but leaving some to give a nice darkened affect especially on the masculine pendant. Below are some photos, I was running out of time by the polishing stage so there are no photos for that.

Different statges of making the pendants

Voila! All finished, polished, and ready to go to a good home and be loved and worn!

the finished pendants placed together to show the hidden heart

We were both really pleased with the final outcome and the two pendants sit together really well! His partner and daugher also loved the pendants and he had another project in store for me later on in the year... to be continued...

N