The finished cloisonné smiley!

[afmetalsmith]

Cloisonné Smiley, in setting Glass enamel on fine silver cloisonné, set into a sterling setting. Gemstone accents are natural yellow sapphires, and black diamonds. I created this piece for a show at the Worcester Historical Society, devoted to the smiley in various media. Worcester, MA is where it was first created! I wanted to capture the light-heartedness of the design in its setting. The "ribbons" are forged silver and undulate toward and away from the viewer, as well as from side to side. The playfulness is accented by the deliberate asymmetry of the the piece as a whole. (The black background of the photo is modifying the color of the sapphires a bit; in real life, they match the color of the enamel.)

Comments

[medvssa.livejournal.com]

Hey! I don't mean you have to. Just that it would be nice, just because it is difficult to have an idea of the volumes with just one front picture :)

[afmetalsmith.livejournal.com]

Right now I rather wish I had asked J to get a picture with something of a side view- the dimensionality, both of the cloisonné dome and of the "ribbons"- really adds a lot, and the picture does flatten it. Oh, well- if I get it back unsold, I'll add such a shot.

[tanaise.livejournal.com]

Well, even if you do sell it, you could probably ask them to bring by for a couple more pictures.