Marjorie Shachnow
jewelry
of Marlynn Designs
535 Viewridge Drive
Angwin, CA 94508
(707) 965-1457
mshachnow@sbcglobal.net
www.marlynndesigns.com

 

Jewelry is a wonderful medium because it is works of art that can be worn. The body and how it is worn adds a whole new dimension and challenge to my art.

I will start with an idea for a piece and then I will look for an element that suits it. My elements are leaves and branches, which I find on my walks through the woods near my home.

I then paint wax on the back to thicken them and cast them using the lost wax casting process. Once they are in 18kt gold and sterling I can then begin to shape them into their final character. I do this by forging, engraving, piercing, soldering and recasting. I use different colored golds and oxidized silver to create contasting elements and to replay what nature does.

My main emphasis is on the woman's neck and how a necklace will lay and move as she moves. The importance of movement is an essential characteristic of my work. It must move with the body to become a part of it.

Once the piece is put together, I then must finish the surface, which I do in many differnt ways. One technique, which is called depletion gilding, is to heat the metal gently many times and then to place it in a pickle acid. This technique creates a layer of fine gold and silver. I contrast the soft warm glow of this mat surface with a hard shine of a hand-burnished edge. Another finishing technique is to paint the metal with liver-of- sulpher to turn the silver a dark shade of grey. I also highlight this finish with a hand burnished edge and high points.

The last step to complete the form is to add diamonds and pearls, not to over power the piece, but to add a sparkle of dew as the light hits it or a drop of fruit that just might be hanging on a branch.

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