Wednesday, September 14, 2011

South Sea Pearl & Sapphire Platinum Earrings


Recently, I completed a pair of sapphire and South Sea pearl earrings. What began as 'show and tell' of recent additions to my inventory became a new jewelry project for my friend!
14mm x 16mm baroque South Sea Pearls.
I met this client over a decade ago in a botanical painting class. Our friendship began when we discovered that we had gone to the same art school (different years) and that we had both had a wonderful design teacher there whom we had learned a lot from even though she was a stickler for detail and a tough grader. She had taught both of us design and color theory.

Usually I paint the design when I make a custom piece but in this case my artistic friend knew exactly what she wanted. I had shown the pearls to her after a Tucson buying trip and a few months later she showed me a design with blue stones and yellow gold. She likes dangle earrings and wanted to use sapphires. We met once more after I had procured the sapphires to go over the fine points of the design. It was decided that all white metal, in this case platinum, would compliment the silvery white baroque pearls and cornflower blue sapphires.
For this pair of earrings I made setting models with six prongs to be cast in platinum. The center wire is round platinum stock that I drilled at each end. The earring is flexible  in two places to allow swinging movement . The pearls move side to side.
Mimi Favre Studio

South Sea pearls and sapphires- Platinum. ©Mimi Favre 2011


South Sea pearls and sapphires- Platinum. ©Mimi Favre 2011