Saw Pierced Dahlia

I do love a challenge and was fascinated by patterns I found in one of my design books.  I have loads of those collected over the years from doing interior design, paintings, pottery and fabrics.

Specifically this dahlia design seemed the hardest to do and for some reason it's the one I chose to attempt.  Hand cut by first drilling tiny holes in a sterling silver metal sheet, then using a super thin saw blade to follow the design.  It's a time hungry job, and it wastes a lot of silver ( I do re-cycle).  But it looks and feels fantastic to wear.  My friends love it.

Hand finished and polished it is coated with Renaissance wax to preserve its shine but it can be kept bright by constant wear or the occasional light rub with a soft cloth. 

I hung it on an 18" sterling silver chain and as you can see, it looks really nice.