If you have a button that has similar meaning to you, I can take a mould from it and create one or a number of smaller replicas for you - please contact me to discuss this.
I inherited my gran's button box, filled with treasures and family history, including a tin filled with what she called her 'specials' - buttons she saved from the people that she loved who were no longer with us - her sister Margo, her Auntie Ethel and her son, my Uncle Chris.
This pendant has been made Made from Art Clay Silver* using a mould I created with one of the attractive buttons that would have been either Margo's or Great, Great Auntie Ethel. (I can just remember my GGA Ethel, and her catch phrase of 'am I doing it right?' as she won at cards)
I've used 925 sterling silver for the hidden bail
Dimensions are 15mm x 15mm. It will hang at 12mm and it weighs 2.4g approximately, which means it is unhallmarked
Choose pendant only, or include a 16 inchNotes...
Photographed with a USA dime and a UK penny for scale
*I use Art Clay Silver, which, upon firing becomes fine silver; 999 silver rather than 925 - also known as pure silver. This texture is applied through rolling it over a texture sheet, cutting out the shape and then after drying and refining I fire it on my hob. You can see videos of this process on my Facebook page and a longer post about the whole thing on my Wordpress account.
Once its fired, I decide how I want to hang the resulting 99.9% pure silver pieces, and in this case decided on a hidden bail. I mill, saw and file this, solder it on, then polish.
Finally I applied a patination, using a traditional method (liver of sulphur) and after a further, finishing polish, applied a light layer of renaissance wax to protect the shading.
*Art Clay Silver utilises the waste from traditional silver manufacture yet, upon firing, becomes fine silver; 999 silver rather than 925 - also known as pure silver. It's a magical, alchemical process - I've more details on my various social media sites and a (rubbish!) video of the clay firing on youtube, wordpress and facebook.
( Here https://www.facebook.com/DawnGillDesigns/videos/647565682068418 )
I only use natural light and take all pictures in my kitchen, so I have used a variety of backgrounds to help display the colouration and avoid your disappointment
Textured, patinated 999 fine silver pendant, using antique button
Sterling Silver will eventually oxidise or tarnish. It's a natural process that can be slowed down by regular wear and by keeping unworn items away from the atmosphere. If you leave your jewellery out on display, this oxidisation will be faster. You can polish up your items, with a soft cloth, some silver polish, or a buffing cloth such as Town Talk, which is readily available from any high street jewellers in the UK
Fine silver is 99.9% silver, and because of this the tarnish rate is much, much slower. Again, a buff should do the job for polishing it back up. If I have patinated your silver already, be gentle when buffing!
Each piece should stand up to regular wear, but , as with all jewellery, please remove it before washing, using chemicals or applying perfume etc
Apply body lotion and perfume a few minutes before putting on your jewellery to help slow down tarnish
The sterling silver used in these items was sold to me by my bullion dealer as certified recycled.
The gemstones I use have been sold to me by reputable dealers as untreated (unless stated specifically in the listing). They are a natural, organic creation from the earth and each one will be slightly different. You can see examples of this on my Facebook page.
I select the stones that I think go together best for each project, hence my comments that each item is individual.