Sundial Necklace

This sundial necklace was made in October 2024 for a friend who lives in Berkshire at a latitude of 51° 30' north.  

It measures 22mm x 40mm and is made of silver with 18ct gold for the star plus some of the hour lines and a lapis lazuli stone noon mark.   The gnomon is hinged, so will lie flat on the back of the necklace when being worn until wanted for use when it will easily fold to the front.

To make it, I started with a sheet of silver and textured the surface.  This is done in the rolling mills by sandwiching silver and steel wire wool with a protective piece of card then rolling them together to create the surface.   From this sheet I cut out the rectangular shape including a notch for the gnomon.  

On the back I soldered on the outer 2 parts of the hinge, keeping them in line with a fine panel pin; then, using a length of rectangular wire, soldered onto one end the centre section of the hinge.  

The base of the notch for the gnomon to sit in when in use was then filed to the correct angle and the hour lines marked.   The setting for the lapis was made and along with the beads and wires, all soldered onto the surface plus the rings for the chain to attach to.  

A hook and loop was attached to the ends of the chain and fitted to the necklace, the stone set and the whole item was then polished and finished.