Show and Tell – Jewelry 3

Years ago, one of my best friends gave me a beautiful silver pendant—a delicate outline of Trinidad and Tobago, with each island connected by a tiny jump ring. I adored it and wore it every single day. It became a part of me. But last week, disaster struck—it slipped off the chain at some point during the day, and despite my best efforts, it’s still nowhere to be found. Whomp, whomp, whomp. I’m holding out hope that it’ll turn up somewhere, but in the meantime, I needed something to fill that empty space on my chain.

That’s when I remembered my collection of handmade jewelry—pieces I poured time and care into but almost never take out of their safe packaging. Without skipping a beat, still mourning my lost pendant, I reached into my stash and pulled out a piece that deserved its moment to shine.

The Silver Leaf Pendant

The pendant I chose is a fine silver piece—two silver leaves joined together by a jump ring, creating an elongated, fluid design with a beautiful sense of movement. It’s the kind of pendant that works perfectly on its own but also layers effortlessly with other pieces.

I made this pendant using the Paste Technique, a method that captures the intricate details of organic textures in silver. I specifically chose sage leaves for their delicate veins and soft, natural curves. Since there were size constraints in the class where I made it, sage leaves were an ideal choice—both in dimensions and in beauty.

How It Was Made

The process began with applying diluted silver clay paste (explained below)  in thin layers, ensuring it seeped into every pore and crevice of the leaves. By the third layer, I used undiluted silver paste, gradually building up thickness with each application. Between layers, I dried the paste using a hairdryer.

Once the silver coating reached the right thickness, I carefully sanded the edges and back, making sure no excess silver spilled over onto the front. Then, it was time for firing. I placed the pieces onto a stainless-steel mesh and fired them on the stove, allowing the heat to transform them into solid silver.

The final step? Polishing. First, I used a steel brush to bring out the natural shine. Then, sanding sponges smoothed out any roughness. Lastly, I placed the pieces into a tumbler, giving them that final, flawless finish. To complete the design, I joined the two leaves together with a jump ring and added another at the top—ready for a chain.

A Fresh Spark of Inspiration

I had forgotten all the steps I took to create this pendant until I put it on again. And, surprisingly, I had also completely forgotten what type of leaf I had used until I dug through my old photos for this blog post!

Wearing this pendant has reminded me how much I love making jewelry. It’s inspired me to start creating again—and to perhaps rotate my pendants more often.

Maybe losing my old pendant wasn’t just a loss; maybe it was a nudge to rediscover something I had put aside. Time to dust off those tools and get creating again.

Note: In this class, we worked with silver metal clay, a super cool material composed of microscopic silver particles suspended in an organic binder. When heated, the binder burns away, and the metal particles fuse to form solid metal that can be sanded, soldered, and polished like conventional material.