Bronco Buster

by Joan Williams
(Springfield, MO)

This is a piece that's been in the making for several months. I knew I wanted to make a pendant out of the brass keyhole plate, and I knew I wanted to go with an Old West look but I just couldn't come up with the right element to set it off.

Then a local antique dealer handed me a pile of old buttons to dig through and I found my cowboy! It all came together pretty quickly after that - I added a couple of Texas stars, dabbed a little Gilders paste here and there to highlight the details and it's good to go.

It gets frustrating sometimes when you can't quite pull a design together the way you want, but I've found if you wait long enough it'll finally come together - usually in an unexpected way!

Joan Williams
Lilruby - jewelry design and more