DON’T GIVE UP
When I look at this necklace, I’ m really proud. Despite its simple design, it gave me a lot of troubles.
I had already made a similar design but not with 2 kinds of wood nor with a polymer clay part to insert into the wood.
First I completely reworked the file that allows me to cut and engrave the wood.
I had prepared a wood panel using a rosewood veneer on one side and a maple burl veneer on the other. Using my laser cutter, I then engraved each piece of the necklace before cutting them. The settings were complicated because each wood, having a different hardness, does not react in the same way to the engraving and cutting.
When I finally found the right settings, I had to find how to insert the polymer clay elements knowing that I can not cut them with the laser.
I cut as accurately as possible my decorations, sanded their edges to insert them in their place. I sanded and polished the wood on each side and added a finish to block the moisture. I fixed the polymer clay in the wood. I started drilling to be able to fix my links between each bead. Yes but….
I had not anticipated that the thickness would not be enough to drill my pieces at the edges.
That evening, after several days of work on this project, closing the door of my studio, I was really close to give up. The next day, I started all over again. I started again with a slightly thicker wooden panel.
Before using the veneers they must be perfectly flat which is not the case of the maple burl sheet: it is necessary to moisten it and put it in press. It must dry well flat.
I had to look again for the settings due to the different thickness of wood. And then, once again I sanded, polished, cut, glued, drilled….
I did it : it look exactly like I had in my mind.
It is on sale on my shop and the entire sale will be donated to help rebuild Notre Dame de Paris …. because we can not give up.
EDIT OF MAY 9, 2019: I sent this necklace to the United States (Florida). The total amount of this sale was therefore donated to fondation du patrimoine.
