Finished the Replica of Sheryl Crow's Earrings

I finally finished "THE" earrings!  This was the first time I had actually done silver metal work.  I had already done a bit of copper metal work, but it's a bit different when your metal is sooo much more expensive!! 

As I mentioned in a previous post about this project, cutting metal with the small jeweler's saw is quite the job.  It's especially difficult to get the curves just right.  I've learned one very important lesson:  Always cut outside the template line; then use a grinder or other similar type tool to do the more precise bit of work such as getting the metal even at the template line.  This method gives you some wiggle room for little mistakes. 

The overall design for these earrings was fairly easy to do.  The most difficult part for me was the center cutouts, but in the end I think they turned out quite well.  I'm happy with the finished product and my client seemed very pleased.  Since they're a gift for my client's daughter in law, I cannot wait to see her reaction.

These earrings are made of .925 sterling silver sheet, cutout, hammered and drilled.

If you wish to have a pair of these earrings made, please contact me for a quote.



My version of Earrings worn by
Sheryl Crow-







Earrings worn by Sheryl Crow on cover of
magazine.

Progress on my Sheryl Crow Earrings

A client walked in my store about a month ago with a magazine in her hand and asked me if I could custom make a pair of earrings that would be similar to those worn by Sheryl Crow on the front cover of Red Book (issue of August, 2010).  Of course, I will not copy the design exactly, because that's just not right, but I will make them in a slightly different size and in .925 sterling silver. 

This is a whole new venture for me.  I usually do wire work, a bit of silver clay and some soldering, but I've never actually worked with silver sheet.  This should be interesting.

I finally got the template of my main earring design transferred onto my .925 sterling silver sheet and I traced out the design and very slowly cut it out with my jeweler's saw. 

This jeweler's saw can be a pain.  The blades are about the size of a couple of strands of hair and they break very easily if you're not careful.  The heat caused by constant friction against the sterling silver sheet causes the blade to get brittle and break.  In order to prevent this I need to constantly lubricate the blade with beeswax. 

Now, I'm getting ready to cutout the center part.  I'll need to transfer my design and drill a small hole in order to enable me to pass my jeweler's blade through it (the jeweler's blade easily comes off  enabling the metalworker to pass the blade through the hole and then attach to your saw).  This is a necessary tool to make cutouts from the center of a piece.

See picture below of my first and second step - It doesn't look too pretty at this point...