My friend and “running buddy”, Michelle, came to me back in March and asked if I could help her in designing and fabricating a pair of necklaces, one 18” and the other 27” that could be worn solo or together. She wanted the look of antique gold, but within her budget. She came with ideas and I had demo pieces on my bench to share. We agreed upon a “proposed” chain linkage design and etched disc size and pattern that she liked.
The next step was to find the right shape and color  After a web search, I found the perfect combination of semi-precious briolette gemstones through a gem wholesaler in India. Though I had never ordered my stones on-line, the web-site was amazing in representing the stones to their true beauty, and their customer service was prompt in replying to my inquiries. When the stones arrived, I was super satisfied with their quality and the consistency in the holes that were drilled in their tops. Not one stone had any inperfection.
I then invited Michelle back to my studio to make final decisions on stone choices and the pattern of the chain linkage. The discs had been punched out and etched, at this time.
At this point, the fabrication begins!

Follow along in the photo gallery below to see the process, and completed set: