How to make the water for a Swan Lake

This is a logical extension of what can be done with Multiple and 3D Pattern Bars. You should view that first if possible, to fully understand this page.

When the customer, an old friend, walked in, he simply placed a sheet of silver on the bench, laid out the two carved rock crystal swans set with diamonds and some enamelled and diamond set lotus leaves and said "make it look exactly like calm, smooth water and put in the gentle wakes of the swans, swimming slowly towards each other". Not too difficult a brief then?

If there been only one swan, this would have been surprisingly easy. We would have used a single 2D pattern bar profile with a straight section running into ever increasing ripples. We would cut lines (as viewed in the illustration from left to right) and move the pattern bar with the crossing slide in a single giant zig zag to get the wake pattern. We might have even been able to handle two swans in the same direction, however with both of them swimming towards each other we had to think again. Hence the purpose designed 3D pattern bar for one single job only. We still have it, but have never used it since, except to show people what you can do if you are imaginative with engine turning. That alone is reason to keep it.

The 3D pattern bar was made from brass using a straight line machine with big round tools to cut basic channels and then riffle filed to blend it in. We could have made it even more complex with ripples and waves all over but even 18ct shell ponds have a price limit! And the brief was calm, smooth water.

This was the result of our response to the brief. The pond itself was silver, to be enamelled deep green, within a large gold clam shell set with diamonds.

I just wish we had a photo of the finished piece! The image above was taken in a great hurry at home with the customer waiting to collect it.