Graduated Disc Necklace, Blue Patina

• Graduated disc sizes from 0.75 to 1.75 in
• Hand-applied blue patina finish
• Linked-ring chain
• Bar-and-loop toggle closure
• Adjustable length

Each necklace differs from the next. Patina shading varies from disc to disc and piece to piece, and light metal scuffing may be present.

The disc is one of the simplest forms in brass work and one of the most versatile — a flat circle can be hammered, textured and patinated in ways a wire or cast piece can't. Graduating the discs and letting them overlap gives the necklace its sculptural weight while keeping it close to the collarbone.

The blue is drawn out of the brass itself through controlled oxidation, applied by hand disc by disc. Because the reaction depends on how the chemistry sits on each surface, the pattern of blue and brass showing through develops differently every time.

The smiths in northern India cut and forge each disc by hand, hammer it flat, then apply the patina. The finished discs are linked in graduated order onto handmade jump rings, and the chain — its own small rings joined one at a time — is fitted with a bar-and-loop toggle so the length can be set at the neck.

• Technique: Hand-forged brass with hand-applied patina

Keep dry and store in a soft pouch to preserve the patina.