Geometric open hoop earrings are retro as well as modern. Yellow, blue, green vitreous enamel.

The contemporary, open hoop design of these handmade vitreous enamel earrings is lovely. Shades of blue and yellow on the front with a touch of white in the background is accented with blue bead on a long silver-plated ear wire. The reverse side of the earrings are beautifully finished in white enamel. This pair of earrings would be a wonderful complement to anything from casual to dressy attire. This would be perfect with jeans and a t-shirt but could certainly lend itself well to a summery sundress as well!

These earrings feature an enameled component that measures 1 1/4 inches across as well as 1 1/4 inches in length. The ear wires are long and slender and measure an additional 1 3/8 inches for a total length of approximately 2 5/8 inches. The time-consuming process of enameling involves numerous firings of finely ground glass particles in a kiln until the final effect is achieved…truly a labor of love! These are one-of-a-kind earrings . You will love wearing them...and won't ever see them on anyone else!

Interested in knowing more about the process of vitreous enamel? If so, read on….. And if not, just know this is a quality, beautifully finished, handmade necklace lovingly made in my home studio (my happy place)! Most of my enamel jewelry starts with a piece of copper that has been cut into the shape I envision my completed piece to be. Holes are drilled at this point, rough edges are sanded and filed off and any doming/dapping of the final form occurs at this point. The piece is then carefully and thoroughly cleaned by both scrubbing as well as pickling (immersing in an acidic cleaning solution kept warm in a crock pot). Without touching the surfaces to be enameled (enamel will not adhere to any areas that have any oil from your fingers or other residues), a fine mist of a clear gummy solution is sprayed on that will help the fine enamel particles adhere. Enamel particles (glass in a powdery form) are now sifted on, which comes in various colors, particle size, and formulas. Numerous firings will occur, creating one layer over the next, most often on the front as well as the reverse side of my designs. The many layers create depth and interest as well as giving stability to the piece. Each firing is done from 2 to as many as 7 minutes, in a kiln at approximately 1500 degrees. The firings are typically done 3 to 5 times on the front and 2 to 3 times on the reverse side. Removing the piece at precisely the right time is key to the process and a small window in my kiln allows me to peak in and see what is happening. Removing the piece from the kiln at precisely the right moment is imperative. When I design a pair of earrings I fire the two pieces at the same time. Truly no two pieces are ever the same, however they will be similar to each other by doing this and will create a lovely “coordinating”, not identical, set! Vitreous enamel, the process I use, is not to be confused with resin enamel or painted enamel or enamelware or many other uses of the word “enamel”…none of which are glass powders sifted on metal and fired with a torch or in a kiln numerous times at temperatures of approximately 1500 degrees until the powder melts and adheres to the metal creating a layer of gorgeous pure glass over the metal as I have described above…vitreous enamel. Be careful…not all enamels are created equal. Also to be considered is whether or not the vitreous enamel is fired on both sides of the piece you are considering. This is much more time consuming in the creation of the piece but increases its strength and stability, making for a quality, long lasting piece of jewelry. So now you know about the process of creating vitreous enamel jewelry! Truly no two pieces are ever identical! It is a fun and rewarding process.