Vivasmith’s Casitas Series Brooch
Coffee Break
Fiery red Catlinite takes center stage in this piece, inspired by the artist’s Venezuelan heritage
By Tina Snyder
(Originally published October 2022)
A miniature sculpture inspired by her Venezuelan culture, the Casitas
Series Brooch 1 is a favorite piece of Deborah Vivas, co-owner of Vivasmith with her partner, gemstone carver Melissa J. Smith. Spotlighting a red house at the end of a cobblestone road with an open door that invites you in to have “un cafecito” (a little coffee) under a starry sky, the brooch brings alive the bright and joyful colors of the places Vivas once called home.
Measuring 2 7/8 inches long by 1 7/8 inches wide by 1/4 inch deep, the brooch is fabricated in steel (with accents of 24k gold and 999 silver), sterling silver, and copper. To craft it, Vivas began by making a paper model. “I wanted the brooch to have a lot of depth, but also be very wearable,” she says. “It’s a bit of an optical illusion, as you can feel the depth but it’s only a quarter inch deep.”
Deborah Vivas & Melissa J. Smith
Vivasmith • Toronto
Once she had the angles right for the frame on the paper model, Vivas cut and scored a sheet of mild steel to match. She pierced out the area where she would set the red house—a beautiful catlinite carved by Smith.
Cutting and polishing the stone provided its own challenges for Smith. Catlinite in its natural state is a very dull pinkish brown. The vibrant red color comes through with cutting and polishing. But the delicate shape required for the house made polishing a little nerve wracking. “Because of the way the door is cut out, the stone has many angles, and you can’t put too much pressure on any one angle because that could crack it,” describes Smith. “So, you’re trying to ensure a consistent, vibrant shine on the entire piece, but the whole time you’re trying not to crack it. It’s very difficult.”
While Smith was carefully carving the gemstone, Vivas was hard at work continuing the brooch fabrication. With the steel frame shaped, she next fabricated the two silver elements: the L-shaped concrete wall that sits opposite the red house, and the silver backing for the stone that would act as a setting. She took an actual piece of concrete and hammered the sterling silver sheet over it to get the exact texture she desired. She then pierced a silver sheet to match the opening in the steel for the stone, cutting out a chair that can only be seen on the back of the brooch. She bent up the edges of the silver around the door area to help hold the catlinite in place.
Using chasing and repousse techniques, Vivas formed the copper cobblestone road that sits at the base of the piece. With all the components complete, it was time to assemble the brooch. Vivas first fused tiny bits of 999 silver and 24k gold to the top portion of the steel frame to create a starry night sky effect. She then soldered the silver concrete wall, the silver backing for the gemstone, and the copper cobblestones. Using a low-heat propane air torch, Vivas patinated the piece, which resulted in a deep navy tone on the steel, beautiful brown tones on the copper, and a darkening of the silver. She perfected the textures by hand sanding and using an agate burnisher to polish the silver and copper elements.
Last, she carefully set the catlinite, which nestles between the silver concrete wall and the steel frame and is held in place by the silver doorway. “Catlinite was chosen for the house because of its fiery red, which represents the vibrant colors of the tropics and the passion, vitality, and vigor of the Venezuelan people,” says Vivas.
Combined with Vivasmith’s passion for their work, that sentiment can now be cherished and worn in the form of a brooch, close to one’s heart.