This is a low tech direct casting method that is a lot of fun to play with, especially if you have an inner pyromaniac! You soak an old fashioned straw broom in water for a few hours, then melt and pour molten silver from a crucible into the bunched bristles of the broom. This results in a lot of steam, occasionally some fire, and a range of interesting shaped pieces of silver. These pieces can be embellished by adding stone settings wherever they fit and look “right” or just made into simple pendants as is.
Broom casting azurite website  A more delicate version can be made using bunches of dried pine needles. The size and shape of the metal pieces is pretty random, so you can never make the same piece twice (no matched pairs for earrings!) but that is also what keeps it interesting. Here are a couple of examples of more complex pieces with hand fabricated settings for the stones.
Amethyst broom cast website