Rose window Mandala test piece in silver (first)

This was one of the first test pieces I created, it has been enameled which is what I plan to do to with these Mandalas when they're all ready and completed. I wasn't entirely happy with the punching, I think it may be due to the vast spacing between the punches and I also created this piece before I custom made the punches that I wanted to use specifically for these designs so this piece gave me an idea of the type of punches that I needed to make.

Rose window Mandala test pieces in silver

These are test pieces with different design variations of Rose windows, I have punched them from silver which has a much more successful outcome than than aluminium. There are still more to come as I have many different designs in my head that I still want to create, I am finding the success of these designs to be very exciting and motivating which is giving me many ideas for the jewellery I want to make from them.

Rose windows

These are some beautiful Rose windows from the Chartres and Strasbourg cathedrals, they are some of the windows I have based by designs on.

Rose window Mandala test pieces

These are some test pieces I have been working on, they are based on Rose window patterns. They are not exactly the same as the windows due to the fact that they are punched with different shaped punches which I have custom made specifically for this project. It was difficult working out how to arrange the punches as they are simple shapes such as square, marquise, circle and teardrop, where the rose windows contain complex shapes which would be difficult to shape the punches into, it would have been much easier to pierce out the patterns but I like the 'embossed' effect that punches create.

These photos are of my first aluminium test pieces, I don't really like the way the aluminum looks and reacts to the punching so I have continued by making them in Silver

Backing for mandala bracelet

This element has got a polished backing, as you can see it illuminates the coloured enamel but only in the direction that the light is shining. Initially I thought that if I were to use a backing with a hammered and polished finish it would refract the light in all different directions and would cause the light to illuminate most of the enamel but this didn't really work as I had planned for it to. I also tried using a brushed finish, this seemed to illuminate it well but only really under a flourescent light. It seems as though a polished backing is the best answer although there is one last technique to try and that is to use silver foil with my enamel.

Rose Window Mandala bracelet

I am in the process of making a bracelet which will form part of a set for my Rose Window Mandala jewellery. There are a few issues which have arisen and are delaying me from finishing it. The main problem is that the enamel becomes dark and dull when placed on the arm whereas with the earrings the light was allowed to shine through and illuminate the colours.
This brought me to a few options I can either use a backing plate or enamel the back white.

Enamelled rose window test piece

This design is derived from the center section of the un-enamelled piece on the left. It is similar to a rose window in that only a portion of the design is used to create the actual window.

Rose Window test pieces

These are some rose window test pieces, I am trying to create more accurate representations of rose windows as apposed to the radiating circles of the first rose window earrings I created.
At the moment I am not sure where to go with these but I plan to draw some rose windows with a maths set to get a deeper understanding of how they are constructed.

Rose Window paper cut-outs

These are the paper cut-outs that I am using to roll mill onto my metal for the backing plate. I realised that the backing plate for the mandala bracelet needed some point of interest for the visible side which rests against the wrist. This is not necessary as it could've had a plain finish but this is what adds richness to a piece and separates it from being a piece of costume jewellery. After some thought I decided to create these mini rose window paper cut-outs to transfer the pattern onto metal, I had made these for my stand at Design Indaba and knew they were quick and easy to make. The only problem with these is there is a limit to the intricacy of the designs and when they were inprinted on the metal they seemed quite boring. So i'll try using the silver foil technique if that doesn't work then i'll have to come up with another idea.