Monday, July 1, 2013

Nooooooo !!!



Catastrophe has struck and I am still reeling in shock from it.  When I went to attach the fluorite flower that I had worked so hard to enhance, taking it from bland to beautiful,  I could not get the beading needle to go through the drill hole.  Somehow the epoxy resin that I used to coat the back of the stone flower had filled the center of the hole.  I thought I had cleared all the resin out with a toothpick after I had coated it but either I did not do a good enough job or more seeped in afterwards.
All I know is that I had to try to ream the hardened resin out of the drill hole in order to attach the flower to the bail.   I used a small, diamond coated reaming tool and was being gentle but ... well as they say "a picture is worth a thousand words".

Picture below - how it looked before the accident.
 
 
Picture below - how it looks after the accident.
 

I have thought and thought but haven't come up with any solution to the problem.  I can't try to reattach the broken piece as that would just seal up the dill hole again (but I am thinking about maybe doing that and then using the flower later on in a wire work piece - maybe!)  So now I'm in the process of trying to locate another carved fluorite flower.
 
I had also came up with a pattern that I thought would look nice with the center piece of the necklace.
Photo above and below - I like the rich, old world look of the capped  Amazonite and large  (Lab created) Amethyst beads interspersed with smaller, natural Amethyst beads.
Photo below - Got these little clamps at a home improvement store and at the time they were almost 3 for a dollar.  I find I use them all of the time and wish I had bought more of them.
If anyone runs across a site that sells similar fluorite carved flowers (about 40 mm in size) please let me know.   All I can find, so far, are small little 15 mm fluorite flower beads.


12 comments:

  1. Oh No!! How frustrating for you. :( I hope that you can figure out a solution to fix it after all the time you've spent on it and how lovely it was turning out to be.

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  2. Oh no!!! I think I would have cried. I guess it's good that you can use it in a different project, but I hope you can find another one for this necklace.

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  3. Oh, no, I can only imagine how that feels :( You did such a wonderful job coloring that piece so using it is a must - wiring is a good idea. I so wish you to be lucky and find THE stone you need. I love the new pattern you came up with and... thanks for the tip with those clamps :)

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  4. Yes, as soon as it snapped off, I could feel my heart plummet to my stomach. I truly did want to cry but instead I went to my computer and began searching online. So far not much luck but I will keep looking. :)

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  5. I am sooooo sorry about your flower. :( That's happened to me a few times and it's crushing. Any chance you can drill a new hole thru a different petal and reattach the broken piece with E6000?

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  6. First of all, I am really sorry that it broke. I know that has to be at a minimum frustrating.

    I also know that you are creative and you will not let this stop you. You will figure something out. It may take time but I guarantee you will find something spectacular.

    It does not need to be an exact replacement- consider a silver flower.

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  7. Oh man - I feel your pain. I think I would have just hidden in a corner and wept. I think you handled it more professionally :)

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  8. Oh poo! What a bummer to have that happen so close to completing the piece :-( Is there any way you could chip off then smooth out all the petals? I don't know much about fluorite so not sure it's possible but figured I'd try to help you make lemonade out of lemons or something like that. Good luck, I know you'll make it work in your usual BEAUTIFUL manner :-)

    Speaking of which I AM IN LOVE WITH MY NEW EARRINGS!!! Yes I'm shouting, I want everyone to know how fantastic they are!!! I can really wear them with anything fancy or casual - LOVE!

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    1. So glad to hear that you are happy with the earrings - they are pretty and even prettier when you have them on. :)

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  9. Oh no! It's a shame flourite is so fragile. I love it! And this flower is so pretty :) Personally, I'd glue the piece back on and find some other use for it. Wirework, or maybe there's a way to glue a bail on it?

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    1. Trish - so true Fluorite is fragile. I remember dropping a large rectangular Fluorite bead and it broke into a dozen pieces.
      When I have some spare time I might play around with the broken flower and see what I can do to strengthen it. The wire work may help protect it and also give it character.

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  10. That is such a bummer when that happens. I have had that happen so many times. I hope you are able to find another fluorite carved flower bead to complete your beautiful necklace.
    Valerie
    Everyday Inspired

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