Silver and Gemstone Mosaic Statement Earrings

Out with the old, in with the bling

I made these earrings as a special order for a friend.

The design is similar to pair she had that was well loved - and overly worn.  Worn so much that the ear wires were smushed and all of the silver plating had worn off leaving them copper and brass colored.

But they looked fabulous on her - large and showy, so I can see why she persisted in wearing them even when they were obviously past their prime.

I felt great being able to make her this pair to replace them.

All sterling silver, with freshwater pearls, sterling beads, coated labradorite, pyrite and crystals - I think these
will withstand many years of daily wear.

Facing the design challenge

I've never made earrings in this style before, so there is a lot of new ground for me here.  

First, I made the frames.  I used about 4 inches of 18g wire for each frame.  The coils are 22g.  Since I worked directly off the roll of wire, I'm not sure how many inches of wire I used for the coils.

The frame design is copied from the original pair of earrings and is slightly different than I would have come up with - mainly the way they are closed.  Typically, I use a round loop to join the wire to the frame - and this is folded.

You might be able to see the wire folded down on the back side to secure the frame in this picture.  This design keeps the shape better than the loop closure does.

To add the beads, I just worked around the edges toward the center.  I used 26g wire to attach the beads.  Most of the beads are attached in groups of 3 consisting of a small bead, larger bead and small bead.  The small beads are 2mm, larger ones are 3 or 4mm.

I actually love the look of these earrings with just the outer edge of the frame filled in, so I may eventually make myself a pair like this.  I went around the edge for two rounds and then started filling in the center in a more random manner.

And then a miracle happened and they were done... and looked great!  

They are a little heavy and large - about 2.5 inches with the earwire - but oh-so-pretty.  And sparkly.

I had a moment of fear when I was filling them in, thinking I used too many pearls and they were getting a wedding vibe going.  I just pulled back and filled in more black crystals and pyrite to overcome that though.

I definitely plan on making some more designs in this style - with a smaller frame - and with just the edge filled in or a full mosaic like these.  Most of all, I'm happy that she likes them.