Skip to main content

Malachite And Bronze Earrings Revisited


I haven't had much spare time recently so haven't had the chance to make much new stuff but I did get round to altering the etched bronze and malachite earrings I made a few weeks ago. I wrote in this post about how they didn't hang well. The design means they are a bit bottom heavy and hang at an angle like this....


So I was at a quandry with what to do with them. Do I leave them or do I cut them down and change the way they hang? I couldn't do any more soldering as the stone was set so I decided {eventually} to cut them down and add an earwire to the pierced hole at the top.


They now hang evenly but it was a shame to have to alter them although I have come to the conclusion that I'm not keen on the type of earwire I used originally for them. The type that is soldered to the back of the earring then formed into an earwire. The length of the wire and the size of the earrings meant the earwires could easily have been bent {accidently} out of shape. So it's something I wouldn't repeat on a larger earring. Not that I use that style of earwire that often anyway!

I also had the chance last week to finish a couple more of the "pod" earrings I posted about a couple of weeks ago, this time I made hoop versions using the sterling silver and bronze pods I made. I haven't had chance to photograph them properly yet but took a couple of snaps in my shed earlier today.



Bronze pods with bronze hoops



Sterling silver version

I'm up to date with my made to order stuff now so I might get the chance to take some proper photos of these today!


Comments

  1. I so loved those malchite in their original form - but then loved them cut down too - did you make small earrings from the cut pieces ? just love that design you used - was it a stamp or a rolling mill design

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment Deborah. It was a shame to cut the earrings down. I can use one part of the cut off bits but the other had the earwire soldered to the back of it.
      I used a stamp and etched the bronze :D

      Delete
  2. I actually think I like the shape of the malachite earrings more now with the cut you made! They are so pretty. That was a great learning experience. The pods are beauties too! Have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I much prefer the cut down look...fab!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi! I am really enjoying your blog - have learned lots - so thank you. Just a quick question - slightly off topic - so I apologise in advance, but just wondering the type of tumbler you use - I am having a nightmare with mine - keeps falling on the floor - also what shape shot (stainless steel of course ;) ) do you use as having problems with shadows around the attachments to metal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comment Niahm!

      I have a Lortone 3A tumbler and the shot I use is a mix of balls, cylinders and cylinders with angled ends. Not sure why yours is falling on the floor! Is it large powerful tumbler? Maybe try putting it on some of that non-slip matting you can buy?
      I sometimes notice a slight difference in the finish around attachments like bezels and silver balls after tumbling but I think it's because the shot pieces can't get to these spots. I use textured metal and oxidize it so any differences in colour/finish aren't that obvious at the end.

      Delete
  5. Oh snap! I think I messed up again. All because I have two gmail accounts but I won't bore you with the details! Bravo Cinnamon!!! I love the change up. Funny how a piece can sometimes force our hand and those pod earrings are very nice! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. If I hadn't looked at the original bronze earring designs, I would loved the new cut down piece but having looked at the original first, it is looking obvious that some thing is missing in the new one. But still a great looking jewelry piece.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Your comments and questions are very welcome!
If you would prefer to contact me directly please use the contact form on my "get in touch" page.

Popular posts from this blog

Combining Soldering And Enamel

The need to make cute, brightly coloured enamel studs propelled me into the world of combining soldering with enamel a couple of years ago. I knew from reading up on it that it was possible to enamel and solder on the same piece but wasn't too confident I was able to do it back then. It was a slightly embarrassing occurance that made me just get on with - I'd made some enamel studs with glued on stud posts. I'd used 2 part epoxy resin which was a job in itself as it set hard after 5 minutes so I had to keep mixing more up. The finished studs looked ok but that little voice in my head kept asking "are you sure you want to use glue?" I wasn't but didn't think I had any other way to do it so I used glue. I sold my first pair and merrily sent them on their way to Canada. A couple of week later the buyer got in touch to say the stud post had come off one of the earrings and the other was hanging off. I was mortified, apologized profusely and refunded her m...

Torch Enamelling - What I've been Up To Recently!

I've admired enamelled jewellery for a while now and not too long ago did a blog post about Etsy seller tekaandzoe  and her wonderful kiln enamelled creations. I didn't think at the time that it was something I would ever be able to do as the cost of kilns plus lack of space would be a problem for me. That wasn't until I saw an advert for a torch enamelling tutorial from US jewellery supplies website Beaducation  by Steven James . It's a great tutorial showing the basics on how to torch enamel on copper. Of course I bought it! I then spent hours scouring the internet for more information on torch enamelling, where to buy the tools I'd need and of course the enamel powders. There are quite a few UK sites selling enamelling supplies and tools but as usual I found the US sites had more choice (why do we always lag behind?) I bought some enamel powders from a couple of UK sites to begin with - Cookson Gold have a good selection but bear in mind th...

Etching Silver Using Nail Art Stamps

So my love/hate relationship with etching sterling silver continues. I've tried a few times now and always end up with different results most of them not that great to be honest. I've tried connecting the silver and a piece of copper to a 9v battery and also heating the ferric nitrate. Sometimes the results are good sometimes not so good. I currently have an etched piece of silver sheet waiting to be reticulated and rid it of the mess that is the etched "pattern".  I now know that using stamps and Stayz On ink just doesn't work with silver - the time needed to etch using ferric nitrate is much longer than etching copper and the ink starts to wear away after about an hour. This results in the pattern being patchy as the resist is eaten away and the silver ends up quite lumpy and course looking. I have yet to try using pnp paper. I don't know why but it all seems a bit of a faff to do. I don't have a laser printer so would need to find somewhere or...