My friend once told me that she dreams about wearing high heels all the time and not worrying about tired feet. It happens that I’ve got a perfect solution in mind for her upcoming birthday. This would not be my first high heel pendant with filigree elements – check High-heeled sandal with clasp and filigree strap. This time apart from a toe strap I want to add a wide filigree ankle strap as well.
Based on a previous successful sandal I decided to start with the steps as in Strappy high heeled pendant with garnet cabochon. I jigsawed a sole out of a 1 mm thick silver plate and chamfered out the lower edge. The heel was made in a brutally inefficient but straightforward method – I hanged a piece of 2 mm wire and melted its lower part into a ball. It does require a lot of filing though to get a good heel shape.
Once the sole is bent and heel is shaped I soldered them together into a “blank slipper”. This is what I call a sandal with no decoration attached. The first decorative element is the toe strap made out of a wire loop filled with filigree. It was a bit tricky to bend it into the right shape and then to solder it in place. It would be extremely helpful to have some sort of clay patty to hold complex surface elements in place while soldering – I’d need to consult with real jewellers about that.
The ankle strap seems to be more complex than the toe strap, but in practice it was not that bad. It is basically a rectangle frame of wire filled with filigree. In order to hold it firmly I left 2 ends of wire sticking out to act as additional support. I gently hammered it into a cylindrical shape and added a piece of flat stripe to attach it to the back of the slipper.
All piece came together and are ready for long hours of sanding and polishing. Seeing the outcome I feel it was all worth it and I only hope my friend will like her new pendant. Enjoy the photoshoot!
The new owner shared a picture of this pendant and she seems to be happy about it. However, it was pointed out that the shoe size might be a bit too large to fit her 😉
Unfortunately, this item is not available for purchase. If you dream about something similar, please check my Etsy store or contact me through the form or on Instagram and let’s see what I can do 🙂