Custom Boy Scout Rank Necklace

A client approached me in October to take the Boy Scout Rank Mother pins and the Eagle Scout badge her husband had earned and to create a necklace using all of these pieces.  She came out to my house, and we brainstormed about the style and the length of the necklace.  She was very interested in the steel links I had used in other necklaces and having an asymmetrical look.  When it came apparent she also had a few extra tenderfoot mother's pins from her husband's brothers we decided earrings would complete the ensemble. These are the 6 pins in order.

Slowly, I developed a plan that would fit with her desires and came up with the following necklace.  She wished to have two parts to the necklace and working with the 6 pins, I mounted them on vintage tin and then doubled them up on one side of the necklace.

On the other side, she wished to have the eagle badge and turn that into the clasp.

The links in between were made of a variety of steel wire shapes, which were hand forged.  The finished necklace looked like this.

Working with a client is a fluid kind of thing.  While she was pleased with most of the design, she didn't like the double strand effect and we went back to the original idea a single strand.  

It was fun to create a one of a kind piece of jewelry for this client and to make something that she would be proud wearing.  The fact that she wished to honor her husband was very touching and I hope she wears this necklace for years.