The Penanular Brooch.

[Dennis]

Autumn is most definitely here and winter not far behind, so I thought I would make a penananular brooch, to be worn as a fastener for a shawl, or an ornament for a heavy knit.

Basically it consists of a large ring not soldered closed, as the name implies, loosely encircled by the curled head of a pin. It also goes by the name of Celtic pin, or Viking pin. Anyhow, something antique you can claim was dug up in your back garden.

Abiding by the maxim: use what you already have, I rolled down some 3.0mm square wire to a strip about 3.5x1.6x 160mm and twisted it to within an inch of breaking, with lots of annealing in between. The pattern you see now is just the very edge of the strip.

The pin was made from 2.0mm round wire, twisted for hardness and then tapered. The head end was planished in the mill and curled up with linking pliers to fit onto the ring.

Finally, the ends were planished to be flatter and broader, to prevent the pin from escaping. I almost ran out of metal for this and doing it again, would buy in broader strip, say 5.0mm wide.

Material, sterling silver. No soldering.
If you’re good with a hammer, you don’t need a mill. Dennis.

[ShinyLauren]

That's lovely Dennis - I'm very impressed with how tightly you managed to twist the wire!

[mizgeorge]

Beautifully executed as always Dennis. I just wish it wasn't getting cold enough to need shawls and heavy knits!

[china]

Very nice will be a few months before we need them down here 33 deg c today currently 28 deg c (11.00pm)

[Dennis]

Thank you all for looking and for your kind comments.
Increasingly they are selling womens' tops with just a safety pin affair to fasten them, so I a have made several versions of these.
The weather in London is around 8°C, so I am never without my fleece. Dennis.

[Scarlet]

That's lovely Dennis! I really love pins and brooches...dare I say it - I rarely wear jewellery but when I do it's often attached to a poncho or a wrap. I recently made this pin for a friend who teaches music, I've not made many pieces so was pretty chuffed! Though on reflection, perhaps it shouldn't have been so "pointy"!
10589

[Dennis]

It's good, but as you say her music might have a piecing quality one day.

[Scarlet]

I know :'( why I didn't think it was bad at the time I'm not sure....but I'm getting better!

[Nick martin]

That’s a beauty Dennis and of particular interest to me given a small job I’m doing for a friend.

A small medieval brooch, missing its pin. Probably iron and it’s rotted away, so that’s what I’m replacing. Yours is beautifully done!

Nick

[Dennis]

Thank you Nick. Good to see you back. Dennis.

[enigma]

Lovely work as always Dennis, super twisting on that wire!

[Dennis]

Thank you, Sarah.

[RichL]

some high levels of skill on display there Dennis.
The finished pieces look really elegant and classy, Great job !

[Dennis]

Thank you.

[theresa]

Lovely brooch Dennis, simple designs always look best. I especially like the twisted wire.

[Dennis]

Thank you Theresa.

[SandieB]

Probably really stupid newbie questions - does the pin loop move around the circle or is it fixed in place? You mention twisting the pin for strength but it's smooth. Does that mean that you filed off the spiralling? Anyway, it's a beautiful brooch!

[Dennis]

Ha, I see you've dug up one of my antiqes Sandie.

Not a stupid question, as people often get that part wrong: the pin is mde separately and has to be loose so that the circle can be rotated into its final position.

So, push pin through fabric, then through gap in circle and rotate circle to hold it secure. The ends of the circle are beaten flat, so that the pin can't escape.

The pin itself is made from round wire, so twisting it does not show much and is quickly sandpapered smooth. One end is hammered flat and curled to encircle the brooch. The other end is sharpened. Dennis.