I am fascinated with symbolism and the mighty oak has been drenched in it throughout history. Strength, endurance and wisdom are all associated these beautiful trees. Handmade out of solid sterling silver these oak leaf studs are a little reminder of what the mighty oak teaches.
Just as each leaf on the oak tree is the same and yet uniquely its own, your earrings will be the similar but unique and one of a kind. I use a mold to create the general shape, but the details are hand carved.
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Oak Leaf Studs
♢ Solid sterling silver (100% recycled)
♢ The little oak leaves are created in sterling silver metal clay, which is made up of tiny, recycled sterling silver metal particles mixed with and organic clay like binder. It can be sculpted, molded, and formed however I want. For this design I have a little mold that i press the clay into and create surface details by hand while the clay is still soft. After the designs dries 100% into my kiln it goes for a two-part firing process. The clay reaches 1500℉ for about an hour and the organic binder burns completely away leaving a solid sterling silver mini sculpture in its place.
♢ I attach solid sterling silver ear posts and apply a dark patina to the recessed areas of each leaf, and the earrings go into my tumbler with steel shot to harden and polish the surface. The high points are polished to a bright shine, creating a beautiful contrast. This contrast is what sterling silver is famous for!
♢ The butterfly style earring backs are a step up in quality, a slightly thicker gauge than normal. Since studs are my go-to earrings I have found from experience that a nicer ear backing was needed to hold up in regular use and keep your earrings on!
