I began making these Lotus pin/pendants from plain plastic buttons, purchased at a fabric store. The plastic was easy to carve with burs and finished well. Each button had two small holes at the center for sewing to a garment which became fixed parameters, along with the standard button diameters available, within which all decisions had to be made. (The existing holes had to be incorporate into larger holes or spaces.) I grew weary of these limitations and looked for larger sheets of plastic to experiment with. After trying many samples, I returned to a basic plastic that I had earlier dismissed: white plexiglass. Although It handled differently, it allowed me to explore larger sizes and shapes.
The window through which the opal appears is a bit smaller than the stone itself, which nestles into a cavity carved into the back of the plexiglass and is trapped (captured) between the plastic and the back or the piece. Four 18k rivets hold it all together. 24k leaf frames the stone.