Bubbles Statement Choker Necklace

My name is Debbie Davidson-Stanfill. I was a musician and a teacher un#l a bout with thyroid cancer up-ended my life and ended my performing and teaching ac#vi#es. Fortunately, I remain cancer-free. 

But with the scar at the base of my neck as inspira#on, and with a deep need to find a new creative outlet, I set out to make more of my long-time jewelry hobby, and I enrolled in metalsmithing jewelry classes. Oh, the hammer and the torch! I find the process therapeutic, and I’m so glad to have found my way back to the “creative flow” I was missing so much.

I now make quite a few choker necklaces. I’d describe my pieces as light-hearted and meant to make you feel better. For myself, wearing a piece over my scar makes me feel stronger, and I love how the conversation then shifts to the jewelry instead of the scar and all the trauma the scar represents.

This “Bubbles Statement Choker” actually started as two fancy plastic bubble wands! You know? The kind you dip into the bubble mixture and then blow through the holes to get bubbles? My daughter had a small bin full of bubble wands of different shapes and sizes from when she was much younger. With her permission, I cut the handles off of these two tapered, swirly bubble wands and then cast them in sterling silver. After cleaning up the casting, I soldered them together, slightly offset (I really liked how the different bubble openings looked that way), and then formed them to comfortably fit over the collarbones. Then, instead of handles, I soldered little loops on each end to attach a sterling silver chain. The clasp is handmade from sterling silver wire. If you look closely, you’ll see a few “bubbles” leading into the chain.