Montana Yogo Sapphire, cloisonne enamel silver necklace, handmade original design pendant, blue and purple rare stone

Montana has the rarest of the colors of sapphire in the world - the Yogo sapphire, which is blue/purple. So rare there are only a handful of people who mine and cut these gorgeous gems. I sourced this one, a stunning cabochon cut from the Yogo Gulch, 6mm diameter a few years ago and waited for inspiration to help me decide what to do with it. I came across a wonderful supply of glass enamels in unbelievable shades of periwinkle, purples and blues that worked perfectly and here is the result.

Carrying on with my series of cloisonne enamel designs using my favorite geometric mandalas as a starting point, this pendant came together beautifully. I decided on a base of fine silver to really highlight the color of this stone. Underlaying a textured fine silver with almost clear enamel to start, I layered the delicate shades of blue and purples to accentuate the unusual shade. Continuing my theme of using unusual shapes, I kept this in a rounded square, with my modern setting and bail. This piece is a stunner. Completely original in my design, and with a one-of-a-kind gemstone, it will be hard to part with this one.

Cloisonne enamel is a time-consuming process. Shaping the tiny wires and laying them on a foundation of molten glass, then adding very fine, thin layers of colored enamels on top to maintain transparency, it requires a delicate hand and lots of patience. I hope you love the result as much as I love creating these pieces.