Stone Carving

Students will create at least two bezel settings. Students will use the cutting pliers, sandpaper, solder station, hand files, buffer, polisher, ultrasonic, and jewelry saw to make the two bezel settings.

This unit has four parts: research and design (designing a project, measuring for materials), prototype (creating a project that uses a bezel setting in a base metal), final design in metal of student's choice using a stone cabochon, and documentation of the finished work (photos, email, reflection, and critique).

Overview Unit Goal

Picture
Picture

Composition Concepts

  • Designing a Symbol
  • Functionality
  • Creating Meaning in Symbolism

Technical Skills

  • Carving
  • Filing
  • Polishing

Tools & Supplies

  • Sandpaper
  • Hand Files
  • Fabric with 600 grit powder

Pounamu Videos

Technical Skill Videos

Order of Work

Determine Your Design
  • Worksheet 1 - brainstorm creating a symbol
  • Worksheet 2 - refine your unique symbol
Prototype: Soapstone
  • Draw your design on the stone
  • Scratch the design into the stone with a file
  • File away the parts of the stone you don't want
  • Make sure you have carved your design on both sides of the stone
  • It should have a way to hang it (hole for cord - or - groove for cord wrapping)
Hard Stone Carving
  • Choose your stone (test the edge with a file to make sure it isn't too hard)
  • Draw the design onto the stone as big as possible (remove as little as possible stone)
  • Optional: cut off excess stone with the stone saw [be sure there is enough mineral oil on the saw blade]
  • Get a small cup of water for your workstation
  • File away the excess stone using WATER and files
  • Ask for help if you need to make a large hole in the center of your stone - all other maneuvers can be done by hand file
  • Sand your finished stone with progressively finer sandpaper - keep your stone moist while you sand (dip it in water) - 320, 400, 500, 600, 1000, 1500
  • Add a cord to the pendant
Documenting

Cultures with Stone Carving

Designing your Symbol

Things to Consider

  • ​Your symbol should be unique to you. (You can't find it on the internet)
  • You should give your symbol meaning, so that it becomes meaningful to you.
  • Consider simplifying your important object/place into simple shapes.
  • Consider combining more than one symbol that you find meaningful into a new symbol of your own creation.
  • Your rock design should fill up as much of the rock as possible.
  • Your rock will likely break if you make parts too thin. Consider how thick you can make each area and still make your symbol recognizable.
  • Remember to add a way to hang your pendant - you can add a hole to hang it from - or - you can create a groove in the stone where cord can be wrapped around the stone.

WKST 1 - Download

WKST 2 - Download

Soldering the Bezel Wire into a Loop

Setting the Stone in the Bezel Setting

3 Photos of your Stone Pendants

  • Use a solid background (no distracting lines, shadows, table, or other stuff) like the photo cube
  • Use quality lighting (soft shadow from artwork only)
  • Photo should be in focus, with artwork centered
  • One photo of each side of your final stone 
  • One photo of both your prototype stone and your final stone
  • Three photos in total

Email an Image of Your Project

Grading Criteria