Waratah Pearl Pendant

The Waratah is the state emblem of NSW. I designed a series of pendants and earrings based around the theme of Australian flora. I feel that my design work on these was some of the best I have done. Unfortunately the pieces are not as popular as I would have hoped. Perhaps the designs look too ornate for the Australian market. Perhaps Australian buyers associate the type of design with mass produced product from Asia, full of filigree and ornate design work. Anyway, the collection was quite an effort, particularly when I started with just a sheet of blank white paper. I particularly like the back of the design and the recess concept I developed to house the fresh water pearl.

As for the photographs, these are computer renders. I had to model the chain and the clasp and also paint the texture on the pendant so that the recesses remain darker. This was required to simulate the look of oxidised and buffed pewter.