Riveted Cross and Bale Sample in Copper

This is something I've wanted to make for a while.  I really like to rivet copper and do what is called a cold connection as you can see I've done for this pendant and bale.  The copper sheet for the pendant back and the bale were both milled at different times.  This is what I consider a sample to experiment with gauges of metal, size and spacing.

There are no instructions for these items, just what I see in my mind.  Sometimes I draw right on the copper with a fine tip Sharpie and saw out the piece.  Sometimes I draw onto a thick index card and experiment with pattern peices like I did with the bale.  The backing piece of copper was with my little pile of metal (yes, pile of metal that could have very easily made it's way to the recycling bin at the jewelry studio) and I figured how too make good use of it.  The bale piece was also a little piece of copper that had been bouncing around with my miscellaneous metal as well.

The metal has texture on both sides and the back of the pendant looks pretty much the same as far as the leaf patterns.  The rivets for the cross and bale can be seen from the back as well.  The leaf texture was a bit light on the bale and I hammer stamped some texture onto it just like I used on the cross.  You can take one detail from one area and add it to another area.  This gives a little bit of this here and a little bit of that there, to create a cohesive look.  Just little simple things you can add to tie the look together.  I also added some miscellaneous lines with a graver.

I will work a bit more on this design and would like to increase the size of the base metal.  I would like to have a little more space at the top, but I was using essentially a piece of my scrap copper, so I was limited on size.  I like the size of the bale because it can accommodate a thicker round leather cord or heavy chain.  I may just saw a piece a bit more narrow the next time.  I also have some other ideas for the connections that may involve some stones and beads.

I like to work on samples in copper before I make larger pieces in sterling silver.  I see some silver and gemstones with the next one like this.  To be honest, every time I make something, I learn something.  You go through the process and then ask yourself, what can I do differently?  Well, you pretty much know what works and what doesn't.  I got this one together just fine, but I've learned a bit more and the next one will be improved.  Always room to grow and learn!