Oxidized Earrings in the Works

Today I am in the process of creating some sterling silver earrings basically from scratch.  I will oxidize them to give the metal a darkened look that is on trend for fall.

Starting with some sterling silver wire in 20 gauge, I form the ear wires from a template I have worked out using scrap wire.  I drew a few sketches of the shape I was going for and then played around with the prototype wire.  Something simple and interesting and modern.  The wire is pre-cut to the right lengths and then formed with pliars to the correct shape.  A bit of hammering to give the front some width and the metal hardness.

All the rough surfaces are polished by hand with my Dremel Tool and the earwires, along with the headpins I will need are dipped into a chemical called liver of sulphur.  This will darken the silver in just a few minutes.

 

 

 

Next I will wire and wrap the individual stones pairs for each set of earrings.  Below you see a sampling of the finished earrings soon to be available in the Shop.

 

 

Twenty Five Pounds ...and Gone so Quickly...

My last fleece buying trip, way back in the spring yielded a whopping twenty-five pounds of raw fiber.  Now just a few short months later it's almost all gone.  Only one mega fleece, Harry, remains.  He is an eleven pounder and I plan to roll up my sleeves and dig in very soon.

I've been creating at a feverish pitch for the last several months in an effort to ensure a well stocked booth for my fall line up of shows and fairs.  I have some new venues arranged including the famous Warwick Applefest in Orange County, NY.

My new line of Stone and Fiber knitwear will debut in the shop on August 4th and at the first festival in Port Jervis in September.  As you might have guessed it's been dyed, spun and knitted by me. 

I've also got a line of sterling silver and stone earrings in the works, but that's another post.