Castings Cleaned Up and Finished...

So excited to get my castings back (minus my favorite one!), today I spent time cleaning them and finishing them as I had envisioned.....

Here you see the original to the left, and the castings/copies to the right. They look from the untrained eye very much alike. The first thing I did was saw off the sprue from each casting.

Next, I fabricated the earwires and soldered them onto the back of each earring component. I also dipped them in an oxidizing/blackening agent.

I sanded the tops to create the contrast between the higher granulated areas and the flat areas.

I set the stones and folded the earwires- fini!

I like the look of them, and it took a lot less time to produce these than if I had hand-granulated them. This allows me to offer them at a lower price accordingly.

These were also casted- in order to make heart-shaped rings with a choice of different 7x5 stones, same size and shape as the stones in the earrings.

I followed the same steps and created a model which I photographed for my Etsy listing. The ring shank is not soldered on, to allow for a customer to tell me what size they'd like. I attached it to the heart component with museum putty. I also didn't set the stone yet- after the customer orders a ring and I finish and solder on the shank, I will set the stone and then mail it out.

Now you see where all these 7x5 opals are going!

Tomorrow I am calling the casting company to find out why the castings had an orange-peel texture, and also what the powdery residue was that was on them and was unfortunately molded. The company I used was also quite expensive; I may try another company recommended by a jewelry friend. More updates later.....!