A Myriad of Earrings!

I tended to make sets of earrings and necklaces until one colleague of mine told me she only really wore earrings- she didnt like the feel and fuss of having something at the neckline. I have since found this to be the case for a lot of women. There is something extra-gratifying about making a gorgeous pair of earrings: exploring bead shapes that would be more difficult to work with in a necklace, being able to tailor-make something exactly to the needs of the customer, because you only need a couple of each type of bead (how many times I've been frustrated not to be able to lengthen a necklace easily because I've run out of the beads that I'd used).

More importantly, big or small, a pair of earrings can really brighten the face! When I'm having a day when the mirror is not my friend, I put on a sparkly or colourful (or both!) pair of earrings and look and feel so much more awake. I love the way earrings look peeping through glamorous long locks when hair is worn down, and also the contrasting drama of seeing the whole earring and its beautiful silhouette against the neck when hair is shorter or worn up.

Left to Right: Black Onyx and Cracked Quartz. Garnet and Cracked Quartz (SOLD). Pearl and Cracked Quartz (SOLD). These cracked quartz drops are so full of depth and texture, and glimmer beautifully. They work with all kinds of colours, shapes and sizes of other gems.

Garnet and Cracked Quartz close-up.

Lapis Lazuli (1 pair sold, 1 pair still available) Lapis is so popular. The richness of the blue is like nothing you get with any other gem.

Aquamarine: small chips are used effectively for a dimensional earring with lots of movement.

Red Agate: these cascade beautifully when worn, the effect isn't seen so well when flat.

 White Pearl and Black Onyx: a Chanel-inspired combination.

 Red and Blue Tiger's Eye with black Jet. I am a huge fan of Tiger's Eye, and these photos sadly dont do justice to the depth and texture of the gems.

 Garnet, Black Onyx and Quartz. The faceted Bicone cut of these gems is one of my favourite cuts. They just seem to bounce light beautifully in all directions and bring instant glamour to any piece.

Candy Colours

Multi-coloured Quartz with Citrine.

Using contrasting shape, cut and colours of gems introduces a contemporary feel to pieces. The pale yellow rough-cut nuggets of Citrine stop the rainbow of smooth quartz nuggets from being too overpowering, but still add to the summery feel of the piece. I have introduced a simple design element of the citrine flower, which sits asymmetrically at the neckline to add an unusual look. I tend to make symmetrical designs: if there is a flower or a cluster or design element, it tends to fall in the centre, but I am trying to expand away from this, to give more variety and interest to my pieces.

       

A good design tip: if you want to make earrings, select the beads for these first. Particularly if you are using nuggets or irregular shapes. In this case, I decided to use 2 different colours of the Quartz, but I selected 2 of the citrine nuggets of a similar shape and weight.