Hi dears! Today, when bumblebee #2 is leaving for its new home, I want to share with you some Behind the Scenes of how it was created.
1. IDEA
Some time ago a client came to make a bumblebee. We went to check images of the real ones to study how their body is constructed and what patterns their wings have. I put those ideas into preliminary sketches.
2. CHOICE OF STONES AND MATERIALS
The idea was to keep it very realistic. We decided to go with gold, enamel, black and golden stones. For the black stones we chose black spinel for is bright black color, for the golden stones andalusite did the job. I like this stone a lot! It changes its color with the sun and the surroundings, while keeping its golden-bronze core shine.
Photos: @missmixte
3. DESIGN
Design for the piece is first made in 3d on the computer.
This is the work image with my marks.
This is the complete 3d render where you can turn and see the piece very realistically from all sides. The client did all the corrections she wanted and we launched the production.
4. 3D PRINTING
After that the piece is printed in wax on a 3d printer. Twice! Twice I forgot to take a photo of the bee wax :) But leaving here another image just to give you an idea how it looks like.
5. CASTING
The next stage is casting of the piece in gold. This is how the freshly cast piece looks like.
6. ENAMEL
Now the piece will be polished and will get the enamel.
Enamel is a powder.
Layer by layer, it is put into the parts of the bee.
After each layer it goes to the kiln.
After the kiln it is polished after each layer. This one has 5 layers of enameling/firing/polishing.
Enamel and photos of the process done by Gayane Avetisyan.
7. SOLDERING TOGETHER, POLISHING, STONE SETTING
After the enamel is done, the piece is polished, soldered together with laser (you cannot solder with fire after the enamel).
Stone setting is normally the last stage, but here it was in the middle because the wings are covering part of the stones.
Pieces like this one are done by a team of people. I'm happy to work with the best of the best! And happy to create jewelry that stands out! And you, as a client, are also a part of this creative team, because you fully participate in this process!