Making a Ladybug and Bloodroot Leaf Brooch
This was an experimental project for me to learn a new method of patination and see if I could layer a second patina on top.
Bloodroot is a favorite Spring ephemeral of mine whose leaves are even more striking than the flower in my opinion. The roots of the plant are blood red and historically used to create a dark orange dye. I chose the ladybug as a nod to the plant's namesake.
The bloodroot leaf pattern is based on tsuba (sword guard) surface granulation from historical examples, although mine is a bit flatter and wider. In an attempt to streamline and condense everything, there’s a lot of repetition you don’t see in this video. I cut out several rounds of annealing, shaping, filing, sanding, re-fusing, etc. for the sake of brevity.
This was also my first time fusing fine silver to copper. I didn't include that process in the video, but the silver foil I used was hand-milled to a certain thickness. My first fusing attempts were done on a hot plate, but I found that the copper needed to be heated much more quickly than the hot plate would allow. If oxidation started forming between the copper and my fine silver elements, I had to pickle and try again.
Thanks for watching!
This brooch was made in 2024 and features a ladybug sitting on a bloodroot leaf.
The ladybug was created in copper with fine silver fused spots and a traditional Japanese patina called “hido”. The bloodroot leaf texture is also inspired from Japanese metalwork- specifically a dotted texture commonly seen in tsuba (sword guards). My version of this texture is a little different, with larger, flat concentric circles. The leaf is made in fine silver with sterling silver hardware on the reverse.
The brooch can be converted into a pendant but needs a very thin chain to prevent catching.
Size: 36 x 40 mm (about 1.5 inches)