Jumping Through Hoops

I’ve just begun my foray into hammering and torching metal, but I have to say — it’s a blast.  However, I’m quickly learning that the metal will do what the metal will do, and I haven’t mastered the art of always letting it know who’s the boss.

photo by RioGrande.com

Recently, one of my customers asked me to make her a pair of hoop earrings.  She wanted a continuous circle, with the ear wire integrated into the hoop .  No problem I thought.   I can do that.

I should have known better.  That wire is STILL the boss of me, and it knows it.

I know there are lots of people out there who can make 20 gauge wire look thick and substantial, hammering it evenly into perfection, but I am not one of those people.  I say “20 gauge wire” because that’s the largest gauge that fits comfortably through most people’s ears.

Finally, I gave up.  The wire won, and I got demoted.  I don’t know the trick yet.  But I did end up making some rather cool (if I may say so) earrings … my own personal renditions of hoops.

All of my hoops dangle from traditional french hooks rather than have integrated ear wires.  Believe me, I’m still trying to crack that nut, but for now, this is all I can do.  The above earrings, “Knotted Hoops” sold to a fellow craft show vendor, and she came back to my booth six months later to show them off to me again.  I was quite happy to know the style was still working for her!

These earrings, called “Organic Hoops”, incorporated my own handmade ear wires, so the entire earring is forged by me.  I was quite happy with this shape, and it sold quickly.

My next try, “Square Peg”, also incorporated handmade ear wires, but had a much cleaner, more modern look to them. Those went home with a customer, too.  So even though I wasn’t making traditional hoops, I must be doing something right.

I finally did try my hand at all-in-one-earrings, and came up with these earrings which I called “Unfurl”.  They’re very, very lightweight — not nearly as substantial as my other hoops.  I found it harder to work with the wire, easier to make a mistake in the hammering, and I didn’t enjoy the process nearly as much.  They still sold, but I don’t think I want to do many more of these.

I’ve come to the conclusion that if I want to make bigger, bolder earrings, they’re going to have to hang from ear wires.  I just haven’t figure out how to make a comfortable 22 or 20 gauge post and still have a thick enough wire to hammer and forge into shape.  Delicate, I can do, but the top three pieces all came from 18 or 16 gauge wire.  Eventually, maybe I’ll learn how to grind down the wire, or learn some super-secret trick.  For now, though, I’m quite happy doing my own thing, and not having to jump through hoops.

Lori Anderson designs jewelry full-time in her studio in Easton, MD.  Her work can be seen at craft shows and on her web site, www.lorianderson.net.  Her blog is www.prettythingsblog.com.