I'm very fond of the 2009/2010 CHANEL Cruise collection (as opposed to their Spring 2010 haute couture collection) and the accompanying accessories.
The large decorative bejeweled neck pieces referred to as plastrons, are a stunning accessory to the line.
Here's how they created the beautiful plastron, a Venetian bib necklace with resin and cast stones that is part of their Cruise 2009/2010 collection of jewels, shown above and below:
above photo by Karl Lagerfeld
A resin shaft, made in advance, serves as a model for the parts of the necklace:
The glass rods are heated with a torch:
The glass is then poured into each piece of the necklace according to the studio sketch:
The imprint of the chamber is made in a silicone mold. All of the pieces are then gilded in "galva", an acid that enables the gilding of pewter and iron:
The backs of the pieces of the necklace are polished in order to obtain an 'aged' effect, with a sparkling resin. Then, all the pieces of the necklace are joined with solder:
The heart at the center of the chamber is drawn using a syringe filled with red enamel:
and voila!
all images courtesy of Chanel