Take Your Music To The Max— Cold Forged Aluminum Pendant

Aluminum Amulet Series

This series of pendants is made from improvisational shapes cut freehand from decommissioned street signs.

Design Inspiration and Technique

The structure of joined pieces are inspired by the non-repeating patterns of Kuba cloth from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The shapes I use are influenced by patterns in nature, Kuba cloth, Mid Century Modern fabric prints, and the work of Alexander Calder, Isamu Noguchi and Wifredo Lam.

After cutting, the aluminum is buffed with a wire wheel to remove the sign decal, adhesive, and any grime or  slag from cutting, bringing the metal to a rich satin-like sheen. The edges of the shapes are further refined with a grinding wheel, belt sander and for tight details or holes, carbide grinding burrs.

Texture is applied by hand with a hammer— every single fine line of the texture is the result of an individual hammer blow. Even my smallest pieces typically require hundreds of swings of the hammer.

Pieces are joined with heavy wire from salvaged aluminum electrical cables which pierce the plate and are hammered into rivet heads. I developed this technique to control exactly where pieces hang in space in relation to each other (in a way that more flexible connections like chain, cord or links would not). I may be the first artist to use this technique… none of the jewelry experts I have consulted have seen it elsewhere.

Why I chose Aluminum to Work With

Unlike precious metals, aluminum does not need to be polished. Pieces I applied this finish to over thirty years ago are as shiny as the day they were created.

What makes this finish truly special is the way it catches light and picks up colors from its environment. The hammer edge cuts very crisp grooves that shine much like a faceted stone. In blue light it can resemble mother of pearl, abalone or opal. In warmer tones it shimmers like amber, coral or agate.

Another advantage of Aluminum is its light weight. I can do large statement pieces which are comfortable to wear because they weight so little. The same work in silver or gold would send you straight to the chiropractor.