Sara M. Sanford is a professional jeweler who has been researching and experimenting with metalworking techniques for 28 years. She is a founding member and past president of the Portland, OR-based Creative Metal Arts Guild.

1" x 3" 20-gauge roller printed sterling sheet (see “Roller Printing Metal,” June 1996) 2.25" x .75" 22-gauge reticulated sliver sheet (see “Reticulated Bracelet, Part I,” May 1997) 1.5" x .5" mokume gane sheet (see “Making Mokume Gane,” September 1998-January 1999) 6" 16-gauge square sterling wire 4" 18-gauge square sterling wire 1" 20-gauge round sterling wire Commercial chain Baroque pearl Silver solder, medium and easy	Tracing paper Rubber cement Saw frame and 2/0 blades Assorted needle files Abrasive paper, 320- and 400-grit Forming pliers Torch, flux, pickle, soldering coil, tripod and mesh screen Flexible-shaft machine with accessories: brass wire brush, #67 drill, rubber abrasive wheels Oxidizer, such as liver of sulfur Jeweler's lacquer Epoxy
For information on supplies, please see the Annual Buyers' Directory. Always ask for the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for any materials you buy, which will give you reactivity, health hazard, and safe handling data.
For information on supplies, please see the Annual Buyers' Directory.

STEP 1. Design.
The first, most obvious, and probably the hardest step is to choose your design source. Once you have chosen a design source, consider its primary elements of design: line, shape, texture, and color. Choose which one(s) you wish to emphasize in your design. For this piece, 3 different textured sheets of metal are separated by square wire spacers, creating a nicely 3-dimensional but lightweight pendant that is complemented by a baroque pearl. This was designed from the wood fragment described in the feature “Common Questions on Design.”

One way to keep each “layer” clear in a multilevel design like this one is to use tracing paper. By having each level on a separate sheet of tracing paper, you will have a clear pattern for each layer, and will be able to see how the whole piece is assembled. Start with the outline for the bottom, roller-printed 20-gauge sheet sterling silver. Use “register marks” on each layer of tracing paper to align them accurately - a small right angle mark in each corner will work well.

Once you have drawn the outline of the bottom layer to your satisfaction, place another sheet of tracing paper on top, mark the register lines, and draw in the wire spacers, which will separate the bottom and the middle sheets. These wires will extend off the edges of the bottom sheet. The right side wire will provide the base for the pearl attachment, spanning the negative space in the bottom sheet.

On the third sheet of tracing paper, first mark the register lines, and then draw the next layer, which will be the reticulated silver. Remember to keep the edges of each level unequal to each other for a more dynamic design.

Add the fourth sheet of tracing paper, mark the register lines, and draw in the 3 wire spacers, which will separate the middle and top layers. Again, these will extend beyond the edges of the middle layer, but not the bottom level.

For the last layer, put a fifth sheet of tracing paper on top, mark the register lines, and draw the outline for the top piece of mokume gane.

STEP 2. Cut the sheet metal.
Position the tracing paper patterns on each of the 3 sheets of metal to find the best use of the texture available. Once you have located the best area to use, coat the back side of each paper pattern with a thin layer of rubber cement. Also coat the top side of the metal. Let the rubber cement dry thoroughly! Once dry, the 2 coats of rubber cement will act very much like contact cement, bonding on touch, but will be easy to remove. When the rubber cement layers are completely dry, carefully position the tracing paper patterns on each sheet. Remove any excess paper from the edges of the metal sheet, and using a #2/0 saw blade, cut each sheet to the pattern, cutting through both metal and tracing paper.

If you use a logo and/or metal quality stamp, now is the time to stamp the bottom piece of metal. Try to do so in an inconspicuous place, since it will cause a mark on the textured side of the sheet metal.

STEP 3. File and sand edges.
Using an appropriately shaped #2 cut needle file, smooth the edges of each sheet metal piece. A flat file will most efficiently shape convex curves, and a rounded file can be used on concave areas. Keep the file at a 90° angle to the surface of the metal to avoid rounding the edge and thus lose the crispness of the shape. When all the file marks have been removed, go over the edges again with abrasive paper, first with 320-grit, then with 400-grit. (Small bits of abrasive paper wrapped around a chopstick work well for concave areas). To prevent scratching the textured surface, cover it with masking tape and hold the sheet against the bench pin with the textured side towards you, filing or sanding away from it.

STEP 4. Shape spacer wires & bail.
If the square sterling wire is stiff, anneal it, pickle, rinse, and dry. Square off one end of the 16-gauge square wire with a flat file, then sand it smooth. Bend wire to the shape on the second tracing paper pattern, using only your hands if possible, to avoid plier marks in the metal. Cut it to the appropriate length, and square off and sand the cut end. Repeat for the other side. Position the wires on the bottom sheet. Put the middle sheet on top of them to check placement - only the ends should show, plus the part that will support the pearl.

Mark the wire on the right side where the pearl will be. Look at the profile of the pearl, then file or grind the wire to fit the pearl as closely as possible. Apply the center punch, and then drill 2 holes with a #67 drill bit (for 20-gauge round wire), which will be the pegs onto which the pearl is epoxied. Position the pearl, then using a thin, sharp probe or pen, mark the pearl where the pegs will be. Use a small round burr in the flexible-shaft machine to make a small depression on the marks, then use the #67 drill bit to drill the pearl. Drill at least halfway through, more if possible, but be very careful not to drill all the way through the pearl.

STEP 5.
Next, square off one end of the 18-gauge square wire with a flat file, then sand it smooth. Again, bend the square wire to fit the shape on the fourth tracing paper pattern, using only your hands if possible, to avoid plier marks. Cut the wire to the appropriate length, and file and sand the cut end. Repeat for the other 2 wires on this level. Position all 3 spacer wires on the middle sheet, and place the top sheet to check the placement. Only the ends should show. The middle section of the left wire should be completely covered by the top sheet.

To form the bail for the chain, use forming pliers (one round-jaw, one flat-jaw) to make a “U” shape of 16-gauge square wire, in which the chosen chain will ride freely, and that will be large enough for the jump ring or other attachment to pass through easily.

STEP 6. Assemble & solder.
On a soldering coil, firmly anchor the top and middle sheets, textured side down, and position the wires exactly - 18-gauge on the top and 16-gauge on the middle sheet. All may be held in place by steel pins, but keep the pins away from any solder joints. Place short lengths of 20-gauge round sterling wire in the holes drilled in the right side bottom wire; these lengths can protrude backward out of the holes and be filed off later.

Note: The textured sheets will probably not be totally level, and the square wire may not lie evenly on the sheet. This does not matter as long as enough wire is in contact with each sheet to assure a strong solder joint. Keep the wire spacers as flat as possible.

Flux all joints with liquid flux, and place small paillons of medium silver solder along the inside of each wire where it touches the sheet, plus on each round wire. Direct your torch flame from the outside, or opposite to where the solder is. Remember that solder flows toward heat (see “Solder Joints and Placement,” December 1999). When all of the solder has flowed, pickle, clean, and rinse each piece.

On the back of the bottom sheet, position the U-shaped bail, flux, and solder it on with medium solder.

Pickle, rinse, and dry.

STEP 7.
Check the position of the 3 pieces - from the side, mark with a pen or scribe on the spacer wires where they touch the sheet below. On a tripod with steel mesh screen, place the middle and top pieces face down. (You may choose to apply yellow ochre to the previously soldered joints, to help prevent them from coming unsoldered.) Flux each area marked, where it will contact the piece below, and place small paillons of easy silver solder on the top of each spacer wire. Heat both pieces, one at a time, just until the solder starts to flow. Put the bottom sheet face-up on the screen, flux the solder on the wires of the middle piece, handling it with tweezers if it is still hot, and place it on the bottom sheet. Remove, and add a small amount of additional flux where the wire touched down. Replace the middle piece, and then flux the top piece where the solder is on the wire. Place it on the middle piece, then remove and add additional flux as you did before. Replace the top piece and check the position of all 3 pieces. When you are that sure they are aligned correctly, gently heat the entire piece from the bottom, underneath the screen. Have a sturdy poker handy to reposition any part that moves while heating. Once all of the solder has flowed, pickle, rinse, and dry thoroughly.

STEP 8. Cleanup.
This is a piece that will not show to advantage if highly polished. Use a brass brush at a very low speed on the bottom and middle layers, and a brass brush or 400-grit abrasive paper on the top piece. The back can also have a brushed finish. It would add a nice contrast to highly polish only the tops of the spacer wires that protrude; use rubber abrasive wheels on the flexible-shaft machine, in successively finer grits. Be very careful not to slip, however. You may want to protect the textured surfaces with masking tape. Use the side of a knife-edged wheel, and just lightly skim the top surface of the wire.

STEP 9. Oxidize mokume.
Use a commercial oxidizing agent, or dissolve a pea-sized chunk of liver of sulfur in about 2 tablespoons of very warm water. Work near a sink, since the reaction happens quickly, and you will need to stop it when you reach the desired degree of patina. Use a small paintbrush to paint the oxidizing solution on the top sheet only. The brush should not be loaded with solution or it will drip onto and oxidize the bottom sheets as well. When the desired degree of patina is reached, quickly rinse it under running water. Thoroughly dry the piece, then apply jeweler's lacquer to the top piece only.

Caution: the lacquer fumes can be toxic. Work only in a well ventilated area.

STEP 10. Epoxy pearl.
Check the length of the pearl pegs, cutting them down if necessary so that the pearl lies snugly on the support wire. Clean the wires and the pearl holes with denatured alcohol, mix the 2-part epoxy, and apply to both the pegs and the holes in the pearls. Position the pearl on pegs. If it has a tendency to “float” upwards, clamp a wooden clothespin on it to keep it in place.

Once the epoxy has set, add the chain, wear it, and enjoy!