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Design Process with 3 Earrings

by Judy Larson
When I am designing earrings, I usually make several pairs at a time starting with the same basic shape. In this case, that shape was a half circle. I start with sketches, and go from there. Changes almost always happen along the way.By the way, that is the excuse I use to justify the size of my stash and the fact that I am always adding to it!
Start with a sketch that is close to actual size. Make notes of sizes, gauges, embellishments, etc., next to each design.

Try to be as specific as possible because who knows what will be remembered tomorrow.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Start with a sketch
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Try to be as specific as possible
Use a millimeter circle template to determine the approximate size sketched and to make templates. In this case, a 24mm circle template was used.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Use a millimeter circle template
Make copies of the templates for each earring and cut them out. Run them through a Xyron repositionable sticker maker.

Using an ultra fine point Sharpie marker to trace around the templates on the sheet metal will also work.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Make copies of the templates
Position the stickers on the sheet metal to conserve as much metal as possible.

In this project, a rolling mill texture was added to four sections.

That piece was cut off and run through the mill before attaching the stickers.

Lightweight earrings pull less on the earlobes. Use 24-gauge sheet metal here.

While 26-gauge is even lighter, it doesn't take as deep a texture.

In retrospect, the center and right earrings in the first photo would have turned out better using 26-gauge sheet.

The design changes added extra metal weight.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Position the stickers on the sheet
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, pull less on the earlobes
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, design 3 earrings
Cut the shapes using metal shears or a saw with a #3/0 blade.

The original designs featured fluted or textured edges. Shears worked well in this case.

File any jagged edges on the bump-outs in the lower design smooth after attaching the bezel cup.

Using a saw creates a straight, flat edge. Shears can slightly squish the metal and require more cleanup afterward.
Important Note: Remember to pickle the pieces after each soldering step.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Cut the shapes using metal shears
The original plan was to use the texture on the front and cut a wavy edge.

After laying the pieces out together, it just didn't look right. Time for a new design idea.

With the roller-printed side facing down on a bench block covered with thick plastic (like a whipped topping lid), lightly texture the smooth side using a favorite texture hammer.

The plastic protects the roller-printed surface.

Form 14-gauge round wire into an 8mm inside diameter ring.

If using Argentium wire, fuse the seam. If not, close it with hard solder.

Position the ring where you want it on the back of the half circle. Use an ultra-fine-point Sharpie to mark the metal on both sides of the ring.

With the front side down on a bench block covered with plastic, stamp the metal content .925 in this case between the marks.
Pro Tip: Tip: One step down from the largest barrel on a six-step barrel pliers creates rings of this size.
Use hard paste solder to attach the ring and the 16-gauge half-round wire spokes.

Position the ring seam on the half circle so it stays securely closed during soldering. Hard solder was used on the ring.

The photos below don't show the second design idea for these earrings. Originally, the wire spokes were meant to be balled up to meet the edge of the half circle.

That plan didn't work out as expected. One spoke fell off during the process. Time for another design change.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Use hard paste solder to attach the ring
The wire ends were cut off and each piece cut to the same length before balling.

There are 6 spokes, but only 5 balls are needed for each earring.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, The wire ends were cut off
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, design 3 earrings
Medium paste solder was used to attach the balls between the spokes and touching the ring.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, attach the balls between the spokes
The earrings still needed something.

The metal inside the ring was filed away and a larger ball was added above the center spoke using easy paste solder.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, design 3 earrings
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, design 3 earrings
The pieces were patinated, polished, domed and tumbled.
Attach ear wires.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, polished, domed and tumbled.
These earrings began as the center sketch but didn't look quite right once all the pieces were laid out, so it was time for another design change.

Cut two 3½-inch pieces of 14-gauge square wire and file the ends flush. A miter jig works perfectly for this step.

Form each piece into an oval, making sure the ends meet evenly and stay flush.
Use hard paste solder to close the seam.

Slide the oval onto a steel hoop mandrel to round it.

Place the ring on a bench block and flatten it with another bench block to "square up" the edges.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Cut two 3 1/2-inch pieces
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Use hard paste solder to close the seam.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Slide the oval onto a steel hoop
These are the pliers used to form the teardrop shape, but there are many other ways to create it.

While shaping, keep in mind that the half circle must fit neatly under the lower end of the teardrop.

Make sure the 14-gauge wire seam is positioned at the lower end of the teardrop, where it will be attached to the half circle and won't risk opening.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Make sure the 14-gauge wire seam
The half circle did not look quite right with the teardrop so a slight curve was cut on the straight edge.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, design 3 earrings
Position the teardrop over the half circle. Placing the half circle at a slight angle gives it more visual appeal than the original straight design.

Use an ultra-fine-point Sharpie to mark where the edges of the teardrop and half circle meet.

The second earring should be a mirror image of the first.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Position the teardrop over the half circle
Turn the assembly over and mark where a metal content stamp should go.

It should be where something will cover it on the front side.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Turn the assembly over
With the front side down on a bench block covered with a thick piece of plastic, stamp the metal content, in this case .925.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, stamp the metal content
Use medium paste solder to attach the teardrop to the half circle.

Place a scrap piece of sheet metal, the same gauge as the half circle, under the top of the teardrop wire.

This will help keep the teardrop flat against the half circle and ensure a stronger, cleaner join.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Place a scrap piece of sheet metal
Trim away the excess half circle metal. File and smooth the seam.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Trim away the excess half circle metal
Position various size balled metal pieces inside the teardrop until satisfied with the design.

For added sparkle, attach a 4mm sterling snapset basket.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Position various size balled metal pieces
Use easy paste solder to attach all the pieces.

Note: The reason the snapset is black and the rest of the metal is white after soldering is because argentium does not get fire scale like sterling silver does.

Argentium was used for all three sets of earrings.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Use easy paste solder
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, to attach all the pieces.
Patina the pieces. A soft steel brush and a silicone polishing pin were used to finish the excess patina removal because steel wool and my fingers could not get in the nooks and crannies or inside the snapset.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, design 3 earrings
After tumbling, decide on what stone would look best in the snapset.

Originally, a clear CZ was planned, but after patina, colored CZ's looked nice.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, decide on what stone would look best in the snapset
Decision made: Garnet CZ.

Place the CZ table side down on a bench block.

Position the snapset over the CZ and push.

It will "snap" into place.
Attach ear wires.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Place the CZ table
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Position the snapset over the CZ and push.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, design 3 earrings
Stamp the metal content .925 below the bezel cup section on the back of the half circle.

The integrated ear wire will cover part of the area behind the cup.

The original plan was to use a beaded chain along the lower edge of the bezel cup and a ruffled half-circle edge.

The chain didn't have enough impact. Time to rethink the design and turn to a box of balled wire pieces instead.

Position the balls slightly away from the bezel cup edge.

This avoids interference when pushing the cup edges in during cabochon setting.

The ruffled edge clashed with the heavier balls. Use a sharp texture hammer to create lines radiating outward from the bezel cup area.

Use medium paste solder to attach the balls and 10mm bezel cups.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Use medium paste solder to attach the balls
File away the excess metal behind the bezel cups and smooth the area with sandpaper.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, File away the excess metal behind the bezel cups
To make the ear wire, cut a 3¼" piece of 20 gauge round hard wire.

Scroll one end to fit the area on the back side of the bezel cup.

Check the fit before making a 90 degree bend in the wire as shown.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Scroll one end to fit the area on the back side of the bezel cup.
Use easy paste solder to attach the ear wire.

Hint: Propping the ear wire on pre-1982 pennies will keep the scroll flat on the back of the half circle.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Use easy paste solder to attach the ear wire.
Patina, clean, polish and tumble the earrings.

Add a bit of e-6000 glue to the bottom of the bezel cup.

Push a 10mm cabochon into each bezel cup.

Let the glue set overnight before pushing in the bezel cup edges.

Hint: Love my clothe pin bezel pusher!
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Add a bit of e-6000 glue to the bottom of the bezel cup.
A flat earring looks nice, but adding just a bit of dimension can add a lot.

Use a small rubber or plastic mallet to shape the half circle on a large dome.

A large wood ball from a craft store or a shiny trailer hitch both work well for this.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Use a small rubber or plastic mallet to shape the half circle
Cut the ear wire 1¾" long out from the bezel cup.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Cut the ear wire
Use a cup bur and a 1500 grit sanding pad to smooth the wire ends.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Use a cup bur and a 1500 grit sanding pad
Bend the ear wires forward about 90 degrees.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Bend the ear wires
Place the ear wire in a 6 step barrel pliers as shown.

Bend the wire around the larger of the two middle steps.

Make a slight bend at the end of the ear wire.
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Place the ear wire in a 6 step barrel
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Bend the wire around the larger
Judy Larson's Design Process with 3 Earrings - , Wire Jewelry Design, Design, Make a slight bend

Materials

24 Gauge Dead Soft Argentium Silver Sheet - 6 Inches
H19-24SM6
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
  • Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1 Inch
  • Price: $155.78
  • Gold Club Price: $116.84
Add to Bag
26 Gauge Dead Soft Argentium Silver Sheet - 6 Inches
H19-26SM6
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
  • Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1 Inch
  • Price: $127.57
  • Gold Club Price: $95.68
Add to Bag
16 Gauge Round Half Hard Argentium .940 Silver Wire
H19-16H
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
  • Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1FT
  • Price: $32.69
  • Gold Club Price: $24.52
Add to Bag
Add All Items to Cart

Tools

Wubbers Triangle Mandrel Pliers - Jumbo
PLR-1490
  • PLR-1490
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
  • Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
  • Price: $44.97
  • Gold Club Price: $33.73
Add to Bag
Basic Soldering Kit
G15-4
  • G15-4
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
  • Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
  • Price: $58.95
  • Gold Club Price: $44.21
Add to Bag
Add All Items to Cart
  • Category: Design
  • Technique(s): Design

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