Pave Party

This is one of my all time jewelry stone setting techniques.  The term is derived from the french word PAVE, which literally means "to pave".   The inspiration for this is the cobble stone streets of Europe.

Small stones are set across the metal in the piece which allows me to blanket the jewelry in color (something I love).

The pattern for the stones is worked out on the metal to hold the stones into place.  I love setting the stones in oxidized silver, it gives a rich body of color and a powerful effect overall.  Its an old jewelry technique that works well with my crownwork®.

Working with Pave is where I can play and have fun with the stones, I often sit at my bench with bags of small stones I have picked up in Tuscon and move them all around like puzzle pieces until I get the right combination.