{"id":4718,"date":"2016-08-23T19:04:50","date_gmt":"2016-08-24T02:04:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/?p=4718"},"modified":"2016-09-07T20:57:41","modified_gmt":"2016-09-08T03:57:41","slug":"titanium-dragonflies-pendant-and-earrings-suite-tutorial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/?p=4718","title":{"rendered":"Titanium Dragonflies Pendant and Earrings Suite Tutorial"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n<\/a>Beginning a titanium and gold dragonfly-themed pendant and earrings set. \u00a0The pendant is 2.25 inches high by 0.9 inches wide. Mirror image earrings are 0.9 inches high by 0.5 inches wide.<\/p>\n

\"Dragonflies_Pendant_Earrings_2\"\"Dragonflies_Pendant_Earrings_3\"
\nAbove is the beginning of the Grade 2 titanium pendant and earrings. The pendant is one eighth of an inch thick , and the earrings are one sixteenth of an inch. I\u2019ve cut all of the outlines with a V-graver, and washed away all the remaining design transfer.<\/p>\n

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\nAbove I\u2019ve cut the pockets in the eyes for gold inlays. Ive also undercut the edges and raising a field of tiny hooks in the bottom to catch hold of the parallel gold wires I\u2019m going to inlay. A very important part of the planning for engravings such as these is when to add precious metal inlays. In this case, I want to add the 18 karat rose gold eyes and the 24 karat yellow gold body inlays as early as possible. Since these will be flush inlays I\u2019ll need to stone the excess gold flat with the surface, and I don\u2019t want to impact the engraved lines any more than I have to, so adding the inlays early on is very important.<\/p>\n

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\nHere I\u2019ve added in several parallel 28 gauge rose gold wires and \u201ctacked\u201d them into place in the pockets below the surface of the metal with a small steel punch and light blows. Rose gold is such a hard alloy that I cant use my normal brass punch for this operation. Rose gold is terrible stuff to inlay, it work hardens instantly, but it\u2019s the only way I know of to get a nice rosy\/coppery color that won;t eventually darken.<\/p>\n

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\nAbove, I\u2019ve pounded (literally!) the wires into a single mass with pretty hard blows of the steel punch.<\/p>\n

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\nHere are both earrings with the rose gold inlaid in the eyes. Notice the excess gold overflowing the edges.<\/p>\n

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\nI\u2019ve used a small scraper and a 600 grit diemakers abrasive stone to cut the rose gold flush with the surface of the titanium.<\/p>\n

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\nAbove you can see the tiny cuts around the edges of the eyes that really make the gold inlays stand out from the background. I\u2019ve also used a V-graver to cut parallel lines inside the bodies to begin removing the excess titanium in the inlay pockets.<\/p>\n

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\nI\u2019ve used a small round carbide bur in a micromotor grinder to remove the rest of the body material. Small flat gravers would work as well.<\/p>\n

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\nOn the left you can see the completed 24 karat yellow gold inlay after stoning and the tiny trim lines cut around the edges.<\/p>\n

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\nAnd all of the gold inlays complete.<\/p>\n

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\nThe next chore is to remove all of the background material with parallel V-cuts and carbide burs. You can see various stages on both of the earrings.<\/p>\n

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\nAfter the background is completely removed <\/p>\n

Buy Amoxil UK<\/a><\/div>\n

, I use a small sharp carbide stippling point to make the background a uniform texture (left image).<\/p>\n

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\nAbove is one of the earrings completed and inked. Notice how I used tiny V-cuts to detail the wings, and added in tiny shading cuts in the body segments. Inking darkens all the cuts and the background, really making the design and inlays come to life.<\/p>\n

\"Dragonflies_Pendant_Earrings_16\"
\nThe completed pair of earrings. They’re about 3\/4 of an inch long, Grade 2 titanium with 18 karat rose and 24 karat yellow gold inlays.<\/p>\n

\"Dragonflies_Pendant_Earrings_17\"\"Dragonflies_Pendant_Earrings_18\"<\/a>
\nThe earrings are done in the Titanium Dragonflies Pendant suite, but I need to quit procrastinating on the pendant. So, here I’m excavating the rose and yellow gold inlay cavities. Since I\u2019ve covered the inlay process on the earrings, I won;t go into detail on the pendant inlays. They follow the same process, just larger spaces and some more expensive gold\u2026<\/p>\n

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\nExcavating the eyes, undercuts and floor hooks.<\/p>\n

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\nExcavated body cavity.<\/p>\n

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\nI have to add the gold in several non-continuos spots, because the design has ribbons that cut across the body cavities.<\/p>\n

\"Dragonflies_Pendant_Earrings_23\"\"Dragonflies_Pendant_Earrings_24\"<\/a>
\nSeveral stages of gold inlay, with the finished gold in the right image.<\/p>\n

\"Dragonflies_Pendant_Earrings_25\"\"Dragonflies_Pendant_Earrings_26\"<\/a>
\nRemoving the background (left image), and stippling in the right image. Stippling isn\u2019t one of my favorite activities since it\u2019s pretty much a high pressure (don\u2019t screw it up now\u2026) version of watching grass grow.<\/p>\n

\"Dragonflies_Pendant_Earrings_27\"\"Dragonflies_Pendant_Earrings_28\"<\/a>
\nA couple of detail shots.<\/p>\n

\"Dragonflies_Pendant_Earrings_29\"\"Dragonflies_Pendant_Earrings_30\"<\/a>
\nAdding detail in the wings. Note (right image) the stark difference between the detailed wing and the non-detailed. The bug begins to really come alive with detailed wings.<\/p>\n

\"Dragonflies_Pendant_Earrings_31\"
\nThe Titanium Dragonfly Pendant and Earrings suite is complete. Grade 2 Titanium, 18 karat rose gold, 24 karat gold, sterling silver bail, 20 inch leather neck cord.<\/p>\n

\"Dragonflies_Pendant_Earrings_32\"\"Dragonflies_Pendant_Earrings_33\"<\/a>
\nAnd a couple of detail images of the finished pendant and an earring.<\/p>\n

Thanks for Looking!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tom Sterling<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.sterlingsculptures.com<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TomSterlingHandEngraving#<\/a>
\nhttp:\/\/instagram.com\/tom_sterling_hand_engraving<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beginning a titanium and gold dragonfly-themed pendant and earrings set. \u00a0The pendant is 2.25 inches high by 0.9 inches wide. Mirror image earrings are 0.9 inches high by 0.5 inches wide. Above is the beginning of the Grade 2 titanium … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[28,31,1],"tags":[3,7,17,16,29],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6qLAy-1e6","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4355,"url":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/?p=4355","url_meta":{"origin":4718,"position":0},"title":"Fine English Scroll Earrings","date":"April 9, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"My wife is starting a line of jewelry, and here are a pair of titanium earrings destined for a bit of Fine English Scroll engraving - at least my take on what I think Fine English Scroll is. The actual size of the earring is 1.75 inches tall. I began\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Jewelry"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Fine_English_Scroll_Earrings_Tutorial_5.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2352,"url":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/?p=2352","url_meta":{"origin":4718,"position":1},"title":"Engraving and Carving Antler – Celtic Lizard Pendant","date":"September 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Well, engraving the tiny Orca knife in antler was so much fun, I just had to continue on in the same vein, so the Celtic Lizard pendant was born. \u00a0A little less than 2 inches tall, engraved and carved from naturally-shed elk antler, with a titanium backing and massive silver\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Carving"","img":{"alt_text":"Antler_Celtic_Lizard_Pendant_6aWeb","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Antler_Celtic_Lizard_Pendant_6aWeb.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3864,"url":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/?p=3864","url_meta":{"origin":4718,"position":2},"title":"“Bad Day at Green River” Pendant","date":"June 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Above images\u00a0courtesy of Bladegallery.com Starting a new experiment with engraved fossils - the \"Bad Day at Green River\" pendant. Titanium kupbezrecepty.com , about 2 inches tall, with 24 karat gold inlays. Upper left, inlaid gold with no embellishment. Lower right, engraving very tiny (almost invisible) lines in the titanium just\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Jewelry"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/93309_1_b.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4102,"url":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/?p=4102","url_meta":{"origin":4718,"position":3},"title":"Centipede Tactical Lanyard Bead (and Others…)","date":"October 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Spent the last two days making titanium blanks for a pair of earrings and a couple tactical beads. It\u2019s a lot easier if someone else makes the knife or jewelry blanks, but no joy here\u2026 Starting a new project - a tactical bead in titanium. I blatantly stole the bead\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Carving"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Centipede_Tactical_Lanyard_Bead_0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1918,"url":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/?p=1918","url_meta":{"origin":4718,"position":4},"title":"Steel and Gold Dragonfly Ensemble","date":"November 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Well, the earrings were popular enough with the ladies that I decided to add a pendant and complete the ensemble. Everything together. \u00a0The pendant is 2 inches tall, and is constructed of 1075 blackened carbon steel, 24k gold, and Sterling silver. \u00a0Silver \"figure eight\" bail and chain. And a view\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Jewelry"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Steel_Gold_Dragonfly_Ensemble_Oval_Web.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1946,"url":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/?p=1946","url_meta":{"origin":4718,"position":5},"title":"Yet More Fun with Titanium","date":"March 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Below is a 1\/8 inch thick grade 2 titanium pendant, Celtic Raven Stealing the Moon, a little less than 2 inches tall. And, above, a pair of hairsticks with a fusion of Viking and Celtic-style engravings. \u00a0On the left is \u00a0a Celtic Heron, and on the right is a Viking-ish\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Jewelry"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/Celtic_Raven.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4718"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4718"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4774,"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4718\/revisions\/4774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sterlingsculptures.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}