Reticulated Silver & Turquoise Necklace

By Nancy Karpel
Intermediate metals and jewelry-making (stone setting) project.

This workshop is divided into three sections. The first section details the procedures involved in reticulation, the second in forming the pendant, and the third in completing the piece by attaching the pearl strands. Some of the steps require hazardous chemicals, so be sure to exercise safety measures. Take precautions to prevent acid injuries by active ventilation and by wearing an acid-resistant apron, gloves, and safety glasses. To learn about a variety of jewelers who work with turquoise, see "Capturing the Sky," page 20 of the February 1999 Lapidary Journal.

Small sheet of 24- to 20-gauge alloy of .820 silver/.180 copper 2 oxy-acetylene torches Flat firebrick or new charcoal block Soldering tweezers Copper tongs 10% to 33% sulfuric acid pickle Brass scratch brush Water source Mild detergent for lubrication Reticulated silver sheet 18- and 24-gauge sterling sheet 28- to 30-gauge fine silver bezel wire 20-gauge sterling round wire 1/4" 14K gold square wire, 16-gauge 14K gold ball, 2mm 8mm x 6mm oval turquoise 19mm x 11mm pear-shaped turquoise Saw blades Files Soldering tools	Hard, medium, and easy solder Flux Pliers Indelible ink pen Tracing paper Steel plate #400-grit emery paper Steel ruler Polishing supplies Aluminum oxide fiber wheel Silver oxidizing solution and applicator brush Ammonia Knotting tool Instant glue Beading board (optional) #4 silk beading cord with attached needle 16" strand freshwater pearls, 8 x 5mm 6 4mm 14K gold beads Sterling lobster clasp 2 silver bead tips
For information on supplies, please see the Annual Buyers' Directory.

STEP 1.
Fusion-texture the surface of a sheet of silver alloy to be used for the wing forms. Start by thoroughly annealing the clean sheet of silver/copper alloy on your flat, clean firebrick or new charcoal block. Quench the metal in the 10% to 33% sulfuric acid pickle until the sheet turns dead white. This leaves a thin film of pure silver on the surface of the metal sheet. Remove from the pickle, then rinse with hot water. Scratch-brush both surfaces with the brass brush and lubricant (you can use detergent) to clean the surface thoroughly. Repeat this procedure 4 to 7 times to further thicken the coating of pure silver on the surface. Do not scratch-brush after the final annealing and pickling.

STEP 2.
On your flat firebrick, use a torch to heat the entire surface of the prepared metal to annealing temperature. Results are best when the surface on which you place the metal is preheated. You can use a single torch; however, it is helpful to use 2 -- a softer flame for general heating, and a more concentrated flame to create the reticulated pattern.

STEP 3.
While heating the top surface with the soft flame, begin to heat one end of the metal sheet with the more concentrated flame until you see a wrinkle pattern begin to form. Move the flame slowly to continue the wrinkling and crawling movement of the metal surface. The center core alloy is melting, making it expand and contract. In response to this, the unmelted silver surface layer wrinkles and reticulates. As the metal wrinkles, continue to move the torch flame from one end of the metal to the other, in parallel lines, to complete the pattern. You can obtain different patterns depending on the direction of the flame and the length of time you heat each area. While it is common to burn a couple holes through the metal, be careful not to completely overheat the piece. Control of this technique comes with practice and trial and error. When completely reticulated, pickle the metal in a heated 10% sulfuric acid solution. Remove from the pickle, rinse in hot water, and the sheet is ready to use.

STEP 4. Now it's time to form the pendant. From the original design concept, trace the shape inside the borders of the wing section. Cut out that shape. Use the pen to outline one for each side of the pendant onto the reticulated silver. Make sure they are exact opposites, then carefully saw out 2 pieces, leaving room for filing and fitting to the border pieces.

	STEP 5. Saw the border pieces from 18-gauge sterling sheet. File the inside curve of piece B, and file the reticulated piece to fit snugly against this curve. Solder in place using hard silver solder.
	File piece A, then place it over piece B. Mark the overlap with a pen, then file down piece B from the top to allow piece A to drop into place. The shadowed section shows where you should file down under piece A. Repeat this process for the opposite side piece. Use hard solder to solder together the 2 side pieces at the center points.

STEP 6.
Using 28-gauge fine silver bezel wire, form the bezel for the 8mm x 6mm turquoise. Use hard solder to solder the ends together. Make sure it fits the stone correctly, then solder it to the back plate of 24-gauge sterling. True up the setting with a file, file the top of the center section to fit the curve of the oval bezel, then solder the bezel in place with medium silver solder. Now use round-nose pliers to form 2 small U shapes from 20-gauge sterling round wire. Solder with medium solder to the back of the piece. These are the loops from which the pendant will be hung onto the pearls.

STEP 7.
Cut a 1/4" piece of 16-gauge 14K gold wire. File the ends and solder the wire with easy solder across the top center of the front sterling section. Form a small half-circle of 20-gauge sterling round wire, from which the larger turquoise stone setting will hang. Use easy solder to solder to the bottom center between the 2 halves. As a decorative element, solder a 2mm 14K gold ball with easy solder on top of the connecting point above the loop. Pickle the piece to remove all soldering residue, then rinse in hot water. I pickled throughout the previous process only if the piece got too dirty to continue soldering.

STEP 8.
Construct a bezel for the 19mm x 11mm pear-shaped turquoise. Form the setting using 28-gauge fine silver bezel wire, fit precisely to the form of the stone. With a square needle file, file a V-shaped channel inside the flat bezel wire before forming to accommodate the point of the pear shape. Solder the ends together, refit, and solder to a back plate of 24-gauge sterling. With a small round file, file a shallow notch out of the top point towards the back of the bezel, into which you will solder (with hard solder) one end of a 2" length of 20-gauge sterling round wire.

After pickling the piece, true the bezel edges with a flat, medium-course file. Using a triangular needle file, make a V-shaped notch from the top point of the bezel to later facilitate the stone-setting process.

STEP 9.
Polish the back and sides of the piece with tripoli, crocus, and rouge, then clean thoroughly. For cleaning, I use a solution of hot water, mild detergent, and a touch of ammonia. It is important to have this piece polished before setting turquoise, since it is best to avoid exposing natural turquoise to cleaning solutions. Some solutions can harm the finish of the stone or change its color.

STEP 10.
Begin the finishing process by using a medium aluminum oxide fiber wheel on the spindle of a polishing motor to apply a satin finish to the back of the pendant piece. On the non-reticulated sections of the pendant front, use tripoli to remove any fire scale, then satin-finish the center section. Give a bright polish to the outer edges with crocus and rouge on small buffs with the flexible-shaft machine. After cleaning the piece, carefully apply a silver oxidizing solution to the reticulated areas to turn them black. Rinse the piece and buff the oxidized area with a rouge cloth to remove oxide from the high points of the reticulated area.

STEP 11.
Set the 8mm x 6mm oval turquoise into its bezel at the top of the pendant, carefully pushing over the sides of the bezel to hold the stone. Attach the pear-shaped bezel and wire form to the bottom pendant loop by wrapping the wire through the loop and tightly back around itself twice. Clip the excess wire in the back with a small wire cutter, then finish the end with a needle file and #400 emery paper. Set the pear-shaped stone in the same manner as the small oval turquoise.

STEP 12.
Now it is time to attach the pendant to the beads. In preparation, solder together a 5mm jump ring for the clasp catch. Temporarily string the 6 gold beads on a wire, then apply a satin finish with a fiber wheel attached to the polishing motor spindle. After determining the number of beads and pearls to be strung on each side, lay out the materials on a beading board. Wrap and knot one end of a silk cord around each one of the back wire loops. Secure with a tiny dot of instant glue, making sure that the glue does not run onto the cord. String the pearls and beads on both sides in your predetermined pattern, knotting the silk under each gold bead. At the ends of the strands, secure a silver bead tip with a knot and instant glue. Finally, attach the jump ring and lobster clasp to the bead tips by folding over the bead tip ends with needle-nose pliers.

Nancy Karpel has been a professional jewelry artist for over 20 years. She operates N. Karpel Studio in New Haven, CT, where she has taught jewelry classes throughout the years. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and has been shown in many industry publications. She is currently doing a good deal of work with Precious Metal Clay.