My Soldered Masterpiece

Last summer, I spotted a class taught by Sally Jean Alexander called "The Love Bird Necklace".  Unfortunately, it was already sold out.  I figured since I had taken a class from her in the past, maybe I could figure out how to make it on my own.  It took all summer of trial and error...soldering and unsoldering, and when it was finally done, it weighed a ton and didn't hang right.  At the end of it all, I had learned why it's better to take a class (the instructor has already made all of the mistakes and can steer you around them) and I had a pile of what seemed like junk at the time.  Well just the other day, I pulled it out of the junk heap and took it apart and put it together into a different necklace and I love it!  If you love it too, it is for sale on etsy!

I drew bird shapes on glass and used a glass grinder to shape the pieces.  Because the collage is sandwiched between two pieces of glass, getting them to be the same shape and size was the first challenge!

Antique chandelier crystals give it a touch of sparkle.

The beautiful pewter bird is by Lynn Davis and is perfect for this piece!  An Artgirlz Spikey Heart charm finishes it off.  

I learned many things by attempting this project...most importantly, don't throw out anything that you are disappointed with.  Put it away and then look at it again someday.  And when given a choice, take the class!!!