One of my most interesting and exciting group of pieces to produce are the “low-tech” direct castings included in the Waterlily Collection. This is a fun, and fabulously creative process using molten sterling with either a water bath, natural straw, or coarse salt.
I cast my work one of these three ways. I do not use molds; therefore, all my cast jewelry is unique and free form - nothing can be replicated. The pieces contained in the Waterlily Collection are comprised of items like Dragons Tooth, crafted with natural straw, and Salt Flower, employing coarse salt, and of course Waterlily using water.
Waterlily
Some of my smaller and more dainty cast pieces are the Waterlilies typically featuring an embedded pearl in the folds or dips of the sterling silver.
I begin all casting with sterling silver, a ceramic or metal crucible (bowl) in which to melt the metal, tongs to hold the crucible and a torch.
In all cases I heat the silver in the crucible to a high molten consistency – think volcano hot, and then very quickly pour the silver into the preferred medium.
To achieve the Waterlily pieces, I carefully measure and weigh the amount of silver I am using, melt it and swiftly throw it into a water bath, usually a small bucket of water, using a swift flick of my wrist. I never know what the exact piece will look like, but the water will immediately cool the silver and then it can be removed to polish and finish.
This procedure presents a challenge because it involves very quickly throwing a molten blob of sterling silver into a vessel, typically a small, 16 oz can filled with very coarse rock salt. You need to do this and move away with speed as the salt spits everywhere and continues to pop and crackle until the silver has cooled and hardened. The salt causes beautiful pitting, sometimes with holes in the silver. I generally use 2-3 times the amount of silver factored into a Waterlily, giving the Salt Flower pieces a much more significant weight and feel.
A Dragons Tooth is made using natural straw and is often referred to as Broom Casting. In this type of casting a bundle of straw is tied together and soaked in water overnight then again placed in a small can. The molten silver is quickly poured over the bundle of straw which gives off a lot of steam and occasionally a bit of sparks and fire. The results are quite beautiful with longer vertical strands of fused silver. Using greater amounts of silver, these more sizable pieces of Dragons Tooth frequently appeal to men, so I often pair them with more substantial chains like the Bali chain pictured here.
Another beautiful piece is this small Waterlily in which I have placed a 6mm Gray Pearl. The way the water randomly shaped this pendant made a perfect indentation to embed the pearl.
You can see why I consider this these types of "low-tech" casting often surprising but very fun and creative.
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