Roads Less Travelled

It would seem that I must be the last person in the entire universe to receive my pre-ordered copy of the book Torch-fired enamel jewelry by Barbara Lewis

The postal service probably mistook Australia for Austria and sent it there. Or perhaps they put it on a little rusty tramp steamer that wandered all over the South Pacific from island to island until it found it's way through a passage in the Great Barrier Reef and fetched up on a sandy beach in North Queensland.

Anyway its here and I had my nose is it before the wrapper had hit the floor.

I only had a small amount of enamels that I had been playing with and while I waited for my bigger quantities to arrive I read and re-read the book.
I was irresistibly drawn to the exciting concept of the solder less bezel so I had to have a go.
The first few attempts were lopsided, in fact they look like prototypes for chameleon eyeballs, but I think I had figured it out by the last one.
As I held the pendent, I got to thinking again about the little rusty tramp steamer and its wanderings down Roads Less Travelled and a vision flashed on my inward eye.

The pendent is from a large brass round that has been distressed and textured. I enameled the bronze coin to represent a road, added some twist tendrils for the twist and turns. of a journey and suspended it from a wire wrapped arched bar.

The back however, was not pretty due to the irregularities of the beaten and dapped bronze coin so I etched another brass disc and glued it in place.

Tried various hanging techniques using ribbon and enameled links, but in the end went with simple chain with a magnetic catch (brilliant device)

Took a week to make as I tried to carefully think through each step and component and I am really glad that I didn't rush things
This is such an exciting concept, my mind is running over with new design ideas!