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Carving a Little Grey Mouse
Here is shown the original block of agate with lovely bluish grey hues. I thought the shape ideal for a mouse. Can you can see it huddled there waiting?
Beginning with various tools I start the lengthy journey of shaping the mouse. I grind off the rough material to better see the shape I’ll be working with. I draw the pose and start to define it. It’s an engrossing process and really challenges one’s ability to visualise the unseen as it’s slowly revealed. It’s slow, steady work and an exercise in patience as I dial up the resolution.
Eventually the little mouse is well defined and needs the fur and finer details applied. First however, just like with faceting there is a prepolish before the final polish, so too is there a prepolish with this carving. To make sure that the fur is as smooth as I can make it I want to remove any coarseness that may be there on the body of the mouse from all the grinding and previous work by smoothing off the surface. Than I begin applying the mouse’s fur all over.
Once the little mouse is all nicely carved comes his little black spinel eyes and of course, his tail. I carve the tail out of wax which I then have cast in 18K white gold.
And at last, the little mouse is all finished.