Manta Ray

... Actually, it's some sort of combination of a manta ray and a sting ray. It sort of has the body of a manta and the face/head of a sting ray. ._.

This red amber has had many designs for it, but I felt like none fit. Each design was something outside of what I normally create, so I may try them out on other stones sometime. This one... I looked at it and saw a sting/manta ray. So I wanted to create it that way because I felt like it! It adds some variation in my gallery, which is a good thing.

This was a test project, so there are many flaws. I don't make many figure/animal pieces, so it is pretty different. I could have done many things here differently to improve its outcome, but for a test this went pretty well. I'm fairly happy with it. ^_^

Its original design had a standard bail, but because I didn't know where to place it, I turned one of the fins and the tail to be a bail... sort of. I don't like the half-round on the tail, but it's there to keep the round wire together and make the bail a little stronger. I kind of want to change the half-round being there, but it might stay.

It's set in Argentium sterling. I forged the wings/fins and eyes of the piece. Even that didn't go as planned, so there are a few mistakes (the reason being that I forged it while it was still bound in the setting). And, as always, I'm struggling to get a clue on how to photograph my pieces. I really struggle with that. TT_TT

I don't know what I'm going to do with this piece yet. Since my class color will be red this year, I think I will wear this to our school rallies and perhaps keep it. We'll see! Maybe I'll remake it in the future, now that I see what should have been done better in hindsight.

Thanks for looking!