Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

Stone Carving and its Relationship to Precious Metals

This project explores stone carving and its relationship to precious metals by examining techniques for attaching stone to silver without the use of a cold connection, a setting of some sort or a rivet. This study aims to reverse the normalized idea of how stone and metal are viewed in the jewelry world. The stone is normally seen as the added embellishment and the silver seen as the base mechanism of the piece, but here the relationship will be reversed. This study investigates how to cast with stone and gems included in an investment (a plaster mold for casting). Bridge construction, dentistry, and the history of stone carving also contribute to the research on the attachment of metal to stone. More specifically, I look at how bridge engineers create a lasting connection between a steel frame and its stone base. This work also takes account of how dentists attach a gold filling to a tooth. Building on that research, this project includes experiments in the metals studio at Winthrop University that relate to stone carving and attaching metal to stone. I experimented with the use of silver as a wire, sheet, and molten substance. There has also been an investigation into the properties of the stones used and discovering what kind of connection they create with metal. The final piece of this project is a work of art based on the researched methods for connecting metal to stone without the use of a cold connection.