[Jewelry making - Article 01245] - Re: [Orchid] About brooches

[Katherine Palochak]

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    Roseann, your brooches are beautiful and innovative. I think you
    will be very successful with them. 

>         1 -  About size/weight. Anyone have any rough guidelines for
>     what's "too heavy" - in the books, some brooches look big and
>     heavy, and I think about pinning that to my lightweight shirts and
>     having it sag and make holes in my fabric....any guidelines??? 

    One way to prevent this is to give it more support, such as using a
    double pin back. To prevent it from sagging/rolling, the pin
    placement should be in the top third of the piece if in a horizontal
    placement. Alternatively, you can use the pin placement vertically or
    obliquely (running from a top corner to a diametrically opposite
    bottom corner). 

>         2 - ... I want to try to make at least some of the brooches so
>     that they can convert to pendants...So I don't want to make a
>     traditional pin-back because the pin will show when worn as a
>     pendant. 

    The pin placement doesn't have to run perfectly horizontal or
    vertical. The way many of your brooches are made, it will be possible
    for the pin to be placed under the main stone and remain hidden. You
    might also consider making the pin stem as a decorative element that
    deliberately shows through when worn as a pendant, since the rings
    are wide enough to hide the hinge and catch. Fabric doesn't care if
    the pin stem itself has a wiggle in it; it just needs a hole to slide
    the stem through. You could make a friction catch, similar to the old
    Celtic and Viking brooches that were used on cloaks. Research fibulas
    and cloak brooches for ideas. 

    Since you are using non-precious metal for the main design,
    fabricate you pin stems out of nickel silver, yellow brass or even
    titanium wire.

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