If you've ever wondered just how much
work goes into a gold or silver pendant, then here on this page you can
follow Hamish's son Graham, as he takes you through the main stages in the life of one of
his creations.
The silver pendant shown
in the left hand panel is the finished article, but there's a lot of skill
and experience to be drawn on, and a lot of specialist precision work to be done
before the metals are fashioned into the beautiful object you see here.
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The original design work is done by Hamish
himself, and must look exactly right before work can proceed |
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Using the piercing saw to cut out basic shapes
in great detail. Here there is no room for mistakes with a
saw blade which measures only 0.8 mm |
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Soldering with a high-tech blow torch - this
burns water which is broken down into gases |
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Filing to soften shapes and add to
perspective. Now we are ready for the final operation of
polishing (see main picture on right) |
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We're nearly there, and
the final touch is as exacting and precise a task as the others.
Polishing using various different grades of polish is a difficult
job, and is also extremely hot on Graham's fingers.Only when this is
done to the Smiths' meticulous standards is the pendant ready to be
displayed in its presentation box (see left-hand panel) ready for a 21st
birthday, or a wedding anniversary perhaps... or simply as a
well-deserved gift to yourself!
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