by Mary

Just playing with what I have available!  The last pendant is an amethyst cabochon.

Materials

• Silver plate (0.8mm thick)
• Piece of silver for bail
• Bezel (own choice)
• Cabochon (own choice)

Steps

• Measure and cut piece of silver plate, file and smooth edges and corners.
• Add some design or stamping if desired. Stamp pendant back with ‘925’.
• Cut a strip of silver for the bail, file and smooth edges. Anneal. Fold to form bail.

 (Consider bail size and the chain width to flow through it).

• Using flat nose pliers to flatten and close bail ends ready for soldering. Apply flux and solder pieces to bail, and apply heat/solder.
• Position the bail onto the centre back of the pendant.  Apply flux and solder pieces. Solder applying heat to top side of pendant.
• Wrap bezel around the cabochon, mark bezel. Check length and cut. (Allow a little extra, adjustments can be made as you fit it tightly around cabochon).
• Match bezel ends, place solder pieces around inside of shaped bezel. Apply heat on the outside of bezel, watch it flow. Reshape bezel and fit cabochon inside it. Check height of bezel. If bezel is too high file some off the bottom.
• Position bezel on the pendant plate, ensuring it sits flat/flush.
• Apply flux and solder pieces to the inside of the bezel. Apply heat around the outside and watch solder flow. Check bezel has totally attached to the pendant plate.
• Clean and polish pendant. Put cabochon into bezel, ensuring it sits in evenly.
• Using square end pusher tool, start to fold bezel over the cabochon, start at top and bottom, then each side (NSEW) evenly. Then carefully fold remaining bezel onto cabochon. Can use a burnisher tool to ensure bezel sits firmly onto the cabochon.
• Give final clean and polish.