52 earrings: #7 Selkie’s Trove, Part 1

I have a little bag of assorted labradorite beads that I’ve been planning to use, so I got some of those out for this week’s earring pair.

#7 Selkie’s Trove, Part 1

The beads are all different sizes so I didn’t worry about trying to match them, I just made sure that the overall length of the trio was the same. I wire-wrapped them with sterling silver, and my earwires are sterling too. I made the little ball-ended headpins at the bottom – I’ve been making headpins of various sizes and materials using my Minor. Fine silver headpins are easy to make using my little soldering torch, but copper melts at a higher temperature so I could only get it to ball up reasonably just after refilling the torch, and only do a couple before the flame cooled again so I do copper ones on my Minor now. I did the sterling ones on there too in the same batch. I couldn’t find my Auflux so made them unfluxed and they’re a bit pitted but not too much.

Labradorite has a beautiful iridescence that comes and goes as you turn the beads around. I’ve managed to capture a little in the photo below. It makes me think of water on rocks and sealskin, hence the title. It’s part 1 because I think the trove should have other treasures in it too!

52 little things links
• Craft Pimp Week 6 thread
• Linda of Earthshine Lampwork Bead and Jewellery Design: http://www.earth-shine.co.uk/
• Sue of BlueBoxStudio: http://www.blue-box-studio.blogspot.co.uk
• Jolene of Kitzbitz Art Glass: http://kitzbitzartglass.blogspot.co.uk

52 earrings: #6 Rainforest Colours

I used a pair of my older lampwork beads this week: transparent yellow nuggets with small red and orange shards and frit in similar colours. I wanted to use some chain in these, since I never use it. Partly because I find it vary hard to tell what size it is when buying online! I have some miniscule silver chain that I might try and use in another pair… This is a rather nice small 2-in-2 closed link red brass chain. I like the warmth of red brass.

#6 Rainforest Colours

The rest is done in copper. I was wondering what I should dangle off the bottom jumprings and sorted through my bead stash to find these little Czech glass leaves. They have an iridescent green-bronze colour on one side and light brown glass on the other and I think they went really well. This photo shows both sides.

52 little things links
• Craft Pimp Week 5 thread
• Linda of Earthshine Lampwork Bead and Jewellery Design: http://www.earth-shine.co.uk/
• Sue of BlueBoxStudio: http://www.blue-box-studio.blogspot.co.uk
• Jolene of Kitzbitz Art Glass: http://kitzbitzartglass.blogspot.co.uk