Projects On The Bench Can Be Modified

Most of my drawings and sketches get glued right down to a piece of metal.

After the glue dries, I begin cutting out the outlines of the sketch with my jewelers saw.

Prior to the sketch, I compile, stone, metal, and whatever in order to conceive of the idea.  Sometimes the idea in sketch is not possible with metal...so this process is important.  I have sketchbooks full of ideas that are impossible in terms of transforming them to metal, given the limitations of my equipment and training.

It can take weeks, sometimes years for something like this belt buckle to make it from sketch to metal.  Sometimes pieces will lay dormant on the bench for months at a time.  Sometimes one completed piece will give me the idea and sketch for another piece.  Sometimes an idea and sketch look better in different metals.

Because this stone is turquoise, and traditionally turquoise is surrounded by silver, using copper in the same design is not as striking.  For this reason, I will use prongs in my design to hold the stone in place, in hopes that someday the belt buckle can be redone in Sterling Silver.