Monday, October 21, 2013

Silver wire wrapped, copper and enamel champleve earrings with Swarovski crystals


I really like making champleve pieces and as time goes on, I'm getting better at this technique. My most recent creation is this pair of earrings, which are copper, wire wrapped with silver and Swarovski crystals:

The beauty of champleve is that you create an inlaid design that shows off the metal against the enamel. My teacher remarked that these earrings really show a lot of metal, but I like that there's a such a wide "frame" around the enamel portions.

For the enamel, I applied stripes of purple and blue glass. One of my classmates said that it looks as if the copper has been inlaid with opals. That wasn't what I was going for -- I was just experimenting with colors -- but hey, I'm glad that they're pretty!

My one disappointment with these is that I wish they were a little more lightweight. I used 16 gauge copper so they're a bit bulky for my ears, but I know plenty of women who like sturdy statement earrings. And these definitely make a strong statement!

To purchase my jewellery, head to Naomi's Designs or MayaGirl Creations.

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