BLOG

These earrings very nearly got the better of me, but they were totally worth it. I bought a stack of hoop earrings at the gem show at the start of the month with absolutely no idea what to do with them (impulse shopping is a big problem when everything is so shiny!). I first thought I'd make similar earrings to these amethyst hoops, but I wanted to try something a little different.

I decided I'd try wrapping chain to the inside of the hoops, so started coiling wire around the edges. The damn stuff wouldn't hold still; slipping around the edges of the hoops freely. I considered just wrapping the full length in wire, and hooking the chain in where it was needed, but I love the look of the simple silver and felt a full wrap would distract from the intended finish.

After a few attempts with lots of frustration and muttering, I tried making marks in the hoops to create some friction for the wire. Still no luck! Finally, I filed down the silver and punched holes with the tip of a wire cutter. Now I could hook the end of a piece of wire in to anchor it there!

Once the chain was in place I started looking for beads to add. I tried apatite first, which I still think would have looked gorgeous, but the briolettes were too long and ran into the next layer of chain. After digging around for a while...ruby! A few wrap, cuts and re-wraps, and the spacing looked perfect. With one earring done, I went on to painstakingly match up the second earring. I always tell my chain maille students that counting is completely overrated. If you can't eyeball it, it's not worth doing. These earrings made me eat those words, as even 1-2 links of chain difference had a significant impact in the layout.

And now they're complete, and I'm simply in love! They're so light, you'll hardly notice them, and large enough for a incredible impact.

See the Sterling Silver and Ruby Earrings here.