My attempt at that Glenn Spiro style
So, I saw some pictures of Glenn Spiro’s jewelry the other day. Man, the way he uses color and sets those tiny stones, it’s just something else. Really intricate stuff. It got me thinking, maybe I could try something similar, you know, get that kind of dense, textured look with stones.
I decided to give it a shot. Didn’t have fancy gems, of course. Just grabbed some scrap silver I had lying around and a bunch of small cubic zirconias I bought cheap ages ago. Thought I’d try making a small pendant, maybe something organic-looking, like a leaf or a petal, covered in those little sparklers.
First, I sketched out a rough shape. Then I got my saw out and started cutting the silver sheet. Getting those smooth, flowing lines right was harder than I thought. Took a lot of filing afterwards just to make it look decent, not all jagged.
Then came the hard part: making the spots for the stones. I wanted that pavé look, where they’re all packed tightly together. This is where things got really tricky.
- I tried drilling tiny holes first.
- Then I attempted to use a beading tool to create the little prongs to hold the stones.
- My hand wasn’t steady enough. The drill bit wandered a bit.
- Trying to raise those tiny beads of metal evenly? Forget about it.
I must have spent a good couple of hours just trying to set maybe five or six stones on a small corner of the pendant. Some wouldn’t sit right, they’d tip sideways. Others popped right back out when I tried to secure the next one. My cheap setting tools probably didn’t help, felt clumsy in my hands. It was frustrating, really made me sweat.
Honestly, the level of precision needed is insane. You look at Spiro’s work, and it looks so effortless, so perfect. But trying it yourself, even on a tiny scale with basic materials, you realize the amount of skill and patience involved. It’s not just about having the idea; it’s about having the hands and the experience to actually make it happen.
In the end, my little pendant piece looked… well, let’s just say it looked homemade. Very homemade. The stones weren’t perfectly aligned, the surface wasn’t as smooth as I wanted. It doesn’t have that seamless, almost fabric-like quality his pieces have.
But, you know what? It was a good learning experience. I didn’t get the Glenn Spiro look, not even close. But I got a huge appreciation for the craft. It’s one thing to see a picture, another thing entirely to try and replicate that level of detail. Made me realize how much practice goes into making jewelry like that. My hands were sore, my eyes were tired, but I definitely learned something about tiny stone setting. Mostly, I learned I’ve got a long, long way to go.
