Tree of Life hair clip.

The challenge should I choose to accept it was to make a Tree of Life hair clip for a customer in the USA.

Well the challenge was on. There was many possible problems with this, I was not sure if I could actually do it.

First things first, 

choose the glass, 

the customer had already requested streaky green so that was the easy bit.

The idea was to make the approximate shape by using a fibre kiln material

Here is a piece!

Then, cut the desired shape out, as the next picture shows.

Sorry about this but I seem to have a few picture missing. But basically I cut the glass in fit inside them shape. One long strip and two half moons pieces. I then repeated this with the top glass. Fitted all the pieces into the cut out and fired for the first time.

Once the firing cycles had been completed, I removed the glass from the fibre material, cleaned up the edges to reduce de-vitrification on the glass for the second firing. Like I said, I fired this cleaned glass again for the second time.

I now had a flat, streaky correct shaped glass cabochon.

The next stage was to bend the glass.

With a 4" square sheet of copper, curved to fit the curvature of the hair clip. See the following picture, although the picture does not show the 5 coats of kiln wash to stop the glass sticking to the copper.

I then fired the cabochon on a slumping cycle, not as hot as fusing the glass but enough to let the glass fall into to right shape over the copper

Once this had cooled,

 I applied the entwined Tree of Life decal onto the center of the cabochon.And fired it once again.

After leaving the new creation to cool completely. 

The cabochon was glued to the curved hair clip with E6000 glue.

Then totally left alone for 48 hours (glue drying time). 

I presented it in a beautiful heart shaped box, all ready to be posted over to the USA.

Then a few weeks later I receive this picture.

I was so please it all worked out in the end. I have missed a few points out as an alchemist can't give away all his secrets.

A massive thank you to my customer for letting me accept this challenge and for ordering my hand made jewellery.

Thanks for reading.

Steve

PS. if you have an idea of a piece of jewellery made from glass, please contact me via stevesmithjewellery@yahoo.co.uk and I will see what I can do, but no promises LOL.......