Carnelian Heart Pendant

Cut a 17cm 16-gauge wire and bend it in half. It will be the sharp tip of the heart. Use the chain nose or bent nose pliers to make the bend.

Then use round nose pliers to create half of the heart accordingly to the sketch. Cut off the excess wire.

Use a pencil to trace the first part of the heart. Create a second part of the heart using this drawing. Now we've got a perfect symmetrical shape.

Cut a piece of 16-gauge wire 4 cm. Flatten it with a hammer. Use a nail file to make one end smooth. It will be the bail for the pendant.

I use a solid copper-phosphorus solder to make solder copper. Prepare a few pieces of 1-2 mm. Solder is very hard, so cut it using only heavy duty clippers. Small pliers may break. If you have the opportunity - use soldering paste.

Solder on the back side because the solder can flow, spoiling the look of the pendant. Place the items on the solder board: heart on the bottom, bail at the top. Put two pieces of solder on the sides of the bail.

Warm up the whole heart. Then focus the flame on the join. Solder flows where the temperature is higher. Remove the flame as soon as you see that the solder has connected the two parts.

I use a butane torch with the large nozzle. This gives a high temperature of flame. The gas with high content of butane is better, because the temperature of flame is higher which makes the solder flow faster, avoiding melting the wires.

Flatten the heart with a hammer again to make it strong. Heating metal always anneals it, or makes it soft.

Bend the bail to form a loop. Cut off excess wire and smooth the end.

Use a needle file to remove tools tools marks.

Cut two pieces of 18-gauge wire 16 cm each. Take one piece and form a circular loop in the center of wire. Loop diameter should be such that the stone, which is located in this. Holes in the stone must be below the wire.

Now we will create the inside wire pattern. Usually I come up with a new pattern every time. Free-form design makes each heart unique. The main rule is that the stone be in the center, and the pattern should be uniform. Sometimes I mark the places on the wire where I will be binding them to the frame so I remember. Cut off the excess wire

Now we have the inside layer of pattern. Bend the ends of the wire and make the balls on the ends with the butane torch. I recommend you dip the wire into the borax powder to get smooth balls.

Return the wire in its place and connect the pattern and the base with 28-ga wire temporarily.

Create a second layer of the pattern.

Again bend the ends and make the balls at the ends of the wire. Return the pattern in place, connect it and fix the wire temporarily.

Dip it in a hot solution of citric acid or pickle

Use a 28 gauge wire to connect all parts of the pattern and the substrate. Cut a piece of 28-ga wire to about 90cm to start.

Remove the temporary wires as you go.

Add some coils on the back side of the stone, where you see fit. The important thing is that the carnelian sits straight, doesn't hang sideways or stick out too much.

Make a few coils around the bail loop to keep it attached.

Continue the weaving. Begin and end where you feel comfortable. Don't forget to pinch the wire ends to the base.

Thin wire coiling is needed to connect the places where the pattern touches to the base or bottom layer intersects with the top layer.

Ta-da! We're done! I recommend to cover it by patina and polish. Make a light yellow solution of sulfuric liver in warm water and immerse the pendant in it for 3-5 minutes. Once the color of copper you like - remove the pendant, rinse and pat dry.

Copper can become dim from moisture. To keep its shine, cover pendant by a special varnish for metal: Rustins. I advise varnishing only the parts that touch the body.