Making a Praying Mantis Brooch

This kinetic brooch was created in sterling silver with a pair of natural emeralds for eyes. It often goes unnoticed that praying mantids have beautiful wings, so I wanted to showcase that in this piece.

Each wing is hand-sawn starting with a series of tiny, drilled holes, then lightly engraved on top for texture.
The forelegs and wings are all connected via rivets so they are posable, and the branch that the mantis sits on was created by melting and forming molten silver into shape. Tube settings secure the pair of emeralds.

Click the link below for an in-depth look into my process behind this piece:

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