Calla Lily Earrings

by Judy Larson

Category: Metalwork
Technique(s): Dapping, Filing / Finishing, Oxidizing / Antiquing, Texturing, Tumbling, Butane Torch Techniques
Skill Level: Intermediate

I made these earrings to honor my Grandmother Lilly

Special Instructions: Read through all the directions before beginning the project. Only one earring is shown being made. Make both at the same time so both will be the same when completed.

Materials

26 Gauge 0.016 Dead Soft Copper Sheet Metal - 6x6 Inch

MET-705.26

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $7.83
Gold Club Price: $5.87

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20 Gauge Round Dead Soft Copper Wire

H11-20D

Lesson Quantity: 12.00 inches
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1FT
Price: $0.49
Gold Club Price: $0.37

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Ear Wires Copper

Lesson Quantity: 2.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each

1 inch copper head pins

Lesson Quantity: 6.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each

2mm Round Metal Beads Copper

Lesson Quantity: 6.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each

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Tools

French Shears - Straight Shear with Spring

SHR-530.01

SHR-530.01
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $25.97
Gold Club Price: $19.48

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Marker -extra fine

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each

7 Piece Mini TruStrike Hammer Set with Stand

HAM-520.70

HAM-520.70
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $140.54
Gold Club Price: $105.40

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6 Piece Assorted File Set with Wooden Handle

G14-7

G14-7
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $5.57
Gold Club Price: $4.18

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Steel wool

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each

Liver of Sulphur Gel, 2 Ounce Bottle

SOL-610.02

SOL-610.02
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $12.95
Gold Club Price: $9.71

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Jewlery Polishing Kit

G24-3-KIT

G24-3-KIT
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $129.82
Gold Club Price: $97.37

Out of Stock

6 Step Barrel Plier - Pack of 1

G2-503

G2-503
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $14.95
Gold Club Price: $11.21

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Deluxe Soldering Kit

G15-5

G15-5
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $116.97
Gold Club Price: $87.73

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12 Inch Stainless Steel Ruler

G7-30

G7-30
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $2.97
Gold Club Price: $2.23

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C.H.P Milano Italian Flush Cutter, 5 1/2 Inches

PLR-487.00

PLR-487.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $16.97
Gold Club Price: $12.73

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Chain Nose Wire Pliers

G2-508

G2-508
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $32.95
Gold Club Price: $24.71

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Round Nose Wire Pliers

G2-507

G2-507
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $32.95
Gold Club Price: $24.71

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Bench Block Helper with Steel and Nylon Blocks

DAP-500.30

DAP-500.30
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $29.95
Gold Club Price: $22.46

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2 Ounce Rubber Head Hammer

G3-19

G3-19
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $2.97
Gold Club Price: $2.23

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Deluxe Bead Reamer Set

DIB-275.00

DIB-275.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $15.57
Gold Club Price: $11.68

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Instructions

Step 1

Make a the leaf/petal pattern on paper using the photo as a guide. The heavy lines denote a 1" grid and the dots 1/3 Inch. Cut the pattern out.

Pro Tip: Hint: Make the pattern larger for a pendant, or smaller for more petite earrings.

Step 2

Using an ultra fine point sharpie marker, trace the pattern twice onto the 26 gague metal sheet-one for each earring. Use french shears to cut out each shape.

Step 3

Using an ultra fine point Sharpie marker, draw hammering guidelines on each piece. If you are more experienced with texturing metal and welding hammers, you will find that you do not need all the guidelines. However, the center line is helpful, so you may wish to draw just that line on your piece. .

Step 4

Choose a rounded sharp edge hammer to texture your blank. The Mini TruStrike Sharp Designer Hammer is a great choice. In this tutorial, I used an antique jewelers hammer I inherited from my father-in-law as well as the Mini True Strike hammer.

Step 5

First hammer a line down the center and then texture the edges, following your guidelines.

Step 6

Finish texturing from the center line outwards, following the guidelines. You may want to file the point at this time if it is too sharp.

Step 7

Use a plastic mallet to more or less flatten your piece on your bench block. It does not have to be perfect and you do not want to remove the texture you just worked so hard to achieve.

Step 8

Clean the ink lines off the piece with a bit of alcohol on a cotton pad.

Step 9

Because hammering dramatically hardens the metal piece, anneal each piece to make it easier to form the cone shape of the flower.

Step 10

Pickle the pieces to remove the fire scale.

Step 11

Sharpen a 1/2 inch dowel to a cone shape. Hint: You may be able to sharpen the dowel in a pencil sharpener if the opening in the sharpener is large enough. A file was used to sharpen this dowel after a bit of whittling. The angle of the point determines the spread of the flower cone. The heavy lines denote a 1" grid and the dots1/4 inch. The size of the dowel and the length of the cone will determine the size of the lower opening of the flower.

Step 12

Place the point of the dowel just below the top curved edge of the petal. You may wish to make both earrings roll the same direction, or make each a mirror image of each other.

Step 13

Use the tips of your round nose pliers to roll/curl the edge of the petal outward. The size and placement of the roll is up to you and can be changed any time during the construction of the earrings.

Step 14

To ruffle the cone, use a twisting motion with the tips of your round nose pliers. The deeper you place the pliers when twisting, the more pronounced the ruffle will be. Because the cone may curve inward after doing this, you can straighten the cone by using the full tip of your round nose pliers as shown in the photos in step 13. Of course, you can leave the edge plain, or just very slightly ruffle the edges.

Step 15

Lightly file the edge, which may have not met evenly when you rolled it on the dowel, by dragging the top of the cone across a fine file.

Step 16

At this point, you can tumble the flower cone, patina and polish it. Or you can wait until you are done with construction.

Step 17

Straighten and cut a 3" piece of 18 or 20 gauge round wire for each eye pin. Note: 18 gauge wire was used in this tutorial, but it can be difficult to make a wire wrapped loop with it so you may wish to use 20 gauge wire. You can use your round nose pliers or step 2 of your 6 step barrel pliers to make the 3.25mm ID eye loop on one end of the wire.

Step 18

Each earring has three stamens of different lengths dangling from the inside of the cone. Cut balled head pins at the following lengths for each earring: 15/16", 11/16" and 9/16". Make a small eye loop at the top of each head pin, making sure that it will swing freely on the wire you have chosen for the eye pin made above. If you are using head pins with beads, cut the head pins at those lengths, slide the beads on and make the eye loop. Hint: If you do not want to use three dangling stamens, one large bead on a head pin pulled up through the center of the cone looks fabulous!

Step 19

Open the eye pin loop. Slide each balled head pin on, with the longest in the center. Close the eye pin loop.

Step 20

Slide the eye pin into the flower and out through the hole in the top. If the wire does not fit through the hole in the top, use a bead reamer to clean up the hole and enlarge it a bit. The eye pin should be positioned sideways so the head pins will lie side by side.

Step 21

Make a wire wrapped loop with the eye pin wire, keeping this loop sideways as well.

Step 22

Attach the ear wire.

Step 23

Optional: Tumble the earrings with steel shot to harden and polish them.

Step 24

Optional: Patina the earrings, if desired, using a liver of sulphur solution. Polish with very fine steel wool to bring out the design of the earrings.

Step 25

Optional: Tumble for 30 minutes or so with steel shot if you want the earrings to have a brighter shine after the patina is applied. This will not affect the patina.

Congratulations! You've made your first set of Calla Lilly Earrings!

Reviews

Judy Larson

My philosophy has always been "I will never live long enough to learn everything I want to learn, go everywhere I want to go and see everything I want to see!" So, what I make and how I create it is always changing and evolving. I was born shortly after WWII to parents who grew up during the Depression. They always had a "we can do it, we can make it" attitude which rubbed off on my two younger brothers and me. My brothers are amazing and can make and do ANYTHING! When I was a little girl, my mother gave me an old carved cigar box, which I cherish, filled with pop beads, wooden beads and yarn for stringing. That was the beginning of my jewelry making journey.

On a visit to the Grand Canyon when I was a young woman, I was fortunate enough to help a Native American silversmith sand cast my first silver bracelet and bezel set a large turquoise nugget on top. I was in love, hook, line and sinker! While working full time and having a family here in northern Minnesota, my artistic endeavors slowed down but never stopped. I am an artist, scrapbooker, seamstress, woodworker and jewelry artisan. Now that I am retired, I am able to indulge in all my hobbies. However, there just never seems to be enough time in the day to do it all, but I try!

I have been teaching community education beginner and intermediate jewelry making classes since my retirement. Many of my students have been bitten so hard by the jewelry making bug that they say I have turned them into monsters-they just can't get enough. Making jewelry, seeing something take shape from small bits and pieces, is so rewarding that I hope it brings out the "monster" in you, too!