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Prong Basket Pendant by Kim St. Jean

By on July 31, 2015
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by Judy Ellis, WireJewelry.com

Daily Wire Jewelry Tip July 31st, 2015

Highlights of the Free Prong Basket Pendant Lesson

I have to admit – since I have a pretty good collection of jewelry supplies (and access to more I can borrow) the thing I had to go digging for on this project was a gluestick! I love Kim’s tips for saving precious sterling silver sheet, even if they involve a few school supplies.

To make a Prong Basket Pendant , you’ll need:

Tools:

CLICK HERE to see our Basic Sawing Kit – a perfect companion to this video!

And the Deluxe Soldering Kit – all the tools you need in one kit!

Materials:

Here’s why I LOVE this project:

  • Putting an element off-center brings more interest to the piece (and all around 1:05, we get to watch Kim sketch her design!)
  • We’ve been to jeweler’s saw school with Kim in a prior video: at 4:19, Kim shows us piercing, which means we punch a hole through the metal sheet, then thread the sawblade through the sheet – and then saw out the component to make a space for the bail!

  • This piece helps us learn the proper order of soldering: always solder your larger components first! Because the bail will take more heat to complete than the prong basket, we solder the bail first. Kim goes over this at 12:58. Then come over to 16:38 so Kim can explain paste solder compared to other kinds. She also explains the difference between hard, medium, and easy; when to use them & how they change the tools you choose to use – and how she keeps hers organized!
  • You can sweat solder with paste, sure! Kim shows you how at 27:31. Just remember not to quench the basket til it’s joined!
  • I enjoy Kim’s method of shining up a piece after pickling it: a wet German brass brush shines it up without scratching, in no time at all.

  • At 34:30, Kim shows how to use prong-pushing pliers – I’ve seen these before but never in action!

Wouldn’t this be a fun way to set birthstone-colored CZs? Leave a comment and let me know how you’re going to use what you’ve learned: either the pattern wire bail, the prong basket setting, or something else you took away from this lesson.

I can’t wait to see what you come up with after watching this project!

If you haven’t picked up your Free 5-DVD Stone Setting Series yet, CLICK HERE to order your copy today, $0.00, just pay $9.95 shipping.

Introduction to Stone Setting with Kim St. Jean - 5 DVD Set

Happy Wrapping!

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