Making a Chinese Lantern Plant Pendant

Chinese lantern plants (aka physalis alkekengi), are a relative of the gooseberry and tomatillo. These have been a favorite of mine since growing up with them in the garden.

Their pods have a little berry inside that becomes visible when the outer shell wilts away in the winter and becomes more skeletal in appearance. For this reason, they are known as a metaphor for life after death in Buddhism and in other cultures.

I created this piece using a sheet of sterling silver and a jeweler’s saw. The skeletal appearance is completely hand sawn starting with a series of tiny drilled holes. The sides were bent downward to close with an orange garnet crystal on the inside in an upside-down prong setting.

Click the link below to view a slideshow of images and videos of my process on this piece:

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