Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Minor accomplishments can sometimes be a big deal

This custom pendant was created for a very loyal etsy customer of mine and I'm rather pleased with how it turned out.

If you're familiar with my work you may realize this piece is the first of it's kind… can you guess why?


Alright, I'll tell you: until now, I've always used just one eye per "bezel." I was pleased when the client requested both eyes for the piece because it forced me to resolve the "double eye mounting issues" I've stumbled upon in the past when designing for a pair of eyes.

In order for the Barbie doll parts to be cold-connected in place after all the metal work is finished on a piece, there typically has to be enough flat surface on the back of the doll part for proper adhesion to the metal "framework" below it. Using one eye is more conducive to gluing because it has a flatter backside. Two eyes creates a natural curve that needs support under it because of Barbie's hollow head. It would look distorted if smooshed flat, which might make for an interesting effect as well…but I digress. I figured out a suitable lightweight under-structure for the pair of eyes that allows for support as well as enough surface for epoxy adhesion.

Hooray! I love it when I have a mini break-through! I will likely be using this technique for many more pieces to come. In fact I already have a very ambitious bracelet idea marinating…

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh, I thought you were going to say something gross like "I stuck a used chewy (gum) behind the eyes to glue it together" RELIEF! :-) I love this piece very clever.

Ashley said...

Margaux, I am a huge fan of your work and I just wanted to let you know that I tagged you as a Rockin Girl Blogger: http://ashleyakers.blogspot.com/2007/08/what-small-world.html

Lynette said...

Love your work!

Margaux Lange said...

Thank you! That's very sweet :-)