Custom Oriel: Monty the Magnificent

I was commissioned to do an oriel pendant for a woman whose cat companion had passed on. This beautiful animal actually belong to three people who had homes on the same property, and he would go from home to home as it suit his mood. But this woman had had a very deep bond with him, so her neighbor and friend had asked me to do a necklace of him for her. I knew Monty -- he was very sexy and slinky, but had a powerful, sage-like personality as well. I remember being over at one of the houses, and Monty came wafting into the room, like Errol Flynn or Cary Grant, throwing himself down by my feet and batting at them. Shameless! One day, I happened to have my camera and snapped a quick photo of him lounging on a bed pillow (his pillow). I didn't mean to make this custom oriel shrine-like, but that's how it evolved. I placed Monty's image on a pink red tapestry ribbon, topped with a piece of vintage gold lace that I purchased in London this spring. The back of the oriel shows a red ribbon rosette from a fantastic piece of ribbon yardage I found in my travels; the rosette is pressed flat by the weight of the glass -- it almost appears as a relic. To top off the oriel I chose a silver charm engraved with a lotus blossom, which speaks of Monty's wise persona. I think Monty would have approved!