Carrasite & Copper Pendant

by Helen Driggs

A raw nugget and a new jasper make an exciting mix.

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I was delighted when Steve Schultz of Owyhee Mountain Gemstones sent us a selection of carrasite jasper cabs to check out because I am a jasper nut. After picking one cab out with difficulty and thinking about its shape awhile, I unexpectedly found a copper nugget that echoed that shape, while the nugget’s bumpy surface provided a nice contrast to the jasper’s smooth curves. I took the nugget home and started designing the pendant.

The patterns in the jasper suggested paths or canyons, so I created copper ones on the pendant backplate. The dots on the stone reminded me of gravel beds, so I used a chasing punch to stipple a dotted texture between the undulating copper canyons of my pendant. The design explores repetition, contrast, texture, line, and color, and I’m happy with the interplay of grey to silver, smooth to bumpy, and red to copper among the metalwork, stones, and nugget.