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intermediate
metal
Serendipity
FORMED BY CHANCE, ASSEMBLED BY DESIGN
Earrings
Solder one-of-a-kind
water-cast
components into
truly organic jewelry.
by Addie Kidd
www.A r t J e w e l r y M a g . c o m
ne of the best things about water-cast components is their individuality; its not just unlikely that youll repeat yourself when you make
or use them, its impossible. While you have some measure of control
over the size of the components you produce, all in all, its an exercise in
random creation, and its up to you as a designer to assemble these random
elements into a pleasing whole. The entire process gives you the opportunity
to create highly distinctive, truly one-of-a-kind jewelry.
Select your components. Lay out a number of drop-shaped water-cast components.
Arrange the components until youve found three pairs (small, medium, and large) of
roughly the same size and shape. Dont worry about matching them too closely; the
asymmetry of the finished earrings is part of their charm.
Youll solder earring posts to the medium pair, and the large pair will dangle below.
To add visual interest, youll solder small components inside the large pair and add 24k
gold balls within the small components. Here are my mocked-up earrings; the medium
component on the left wasnt as textured as the one on the right, so I put a tiny watercast piece within it that Ill also solder in place [1].
NOTE: Make sure you select sturdy components that dont have any thin spots thin
spots could melt as youre making the earrings. I kind of manhandle the components a
bit to make sure that theyre tough enough to stand up to wear. Id rather have a piece
bend or break now than after Ive completed my earrings.
Part 1:
Dangles
6
7a
7b
www.A r t J e w e l r y M a g . c o m
Part 2:
1
2
3
Assembly
Prepare the backs of the post components. Using a flat file, slightly flatten a
spot on the back of each post component.
This flat spot will ensure that the post has
the largest possible point of contact for a
secure join.
Part 3:
Posts
Part 4:
Finishing
materials
3
online extra
To watch a video on how to
apply a liver of sulfur patina,
visit www.artjewelrymag.com/
videos
toolboxes, www.artjewelrymag.
com/toolboxes
Soldering
Finishing
Wirework
suppliers
www.A r t J e w e l r y M a g . c o m
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