Design of the Week: Asymmetric amethyst pendant

I finished this piece recently - I got this great amethyst with bronze veining cabochon from Designer Cabochons and thought it would make a stunning statement pendant. The stone is roughly 25mm across (don't have my ruler handy!).

I make a lot of delicate pieces, which is more my style and the tendency of my designs, but it's nice to add a bolder statement piece into the mix too. It feels a little bit different to the other jewellery I've made.

I decided to go for a simple bezel setting, then cut three equal lengths of different sterling silver tube to balance the shape of the stone, and soldered them together in one corner. Also added a bail which I cut from  0.3mm fine silver sheet.

I used this silver bearer wire for the first time to create the bezel – it has an inbuilt ‘shelf’ for the stone to rest on, which made creating the bezel easier and I left the back open as a result, as the stone was held in place by the shelf.

The purple of the amethyst really comes out in natural light