PROJECT: VINTAGE PEARL & BEADED WIRE EARRINGS


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1: CUT AND SHAPE YOUR WIRE Cut two lengths of 3cm and two lengths of 7cm of the beaded Sterling Silver wire using side cutters. Curve each one around a triblet or tube to form a circle. You can use anything cylindrical to shape your wire – even a pen.


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3: HARDEN YOUR CIRCLE SHAPES


AND POLISH Once clean, rinse, dry and reshape the circles on the triblet or tube. Place the circle shapes into a barrel tumbling machine with steel shot, warm water and a spoonful of barrelbrite compound. Tumble the teardrops for 20–30 mins. If you don’t have a barrel tumbling machine, you could use a steel burnisher to harden the shapes by hand. Simply place the shapes on a stable surface and rub the steel burnisher over them, applying pressure. Then gently polish them using a Silver polishing cloth.


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2: SOLDER YOUR WIRE AND CLEAN Ensure the two ends of the beaded wire sit flush and are touching. Place a small amount of hard solder paste at the join and heat evenly using a blowtorch. When the solder melts and flows, remove the heat from the blowtorch. Using tweezers, drop the beaded circles into a warm acid safety pickle to clean. Remove with plastic tweezers. Do not put metal tweezers in the safety pickle as this can contaminate it. The wire should be flexible enough to manipulate with your fingers to align. To keep your pickle warm, use a slow cooker or pickling unit (999 AFD). Remember: safety pickle is a hazardous chemical and appropriate precautions should be taken.


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4: MELT YOUR SILVER WIRE Take 3–4cm of 0.4mm Sterling Silver wire and place on a heat proof brick. Using a blowtorch, gently melt one end so it rolls into a ball at the end of your wire. Repeat six times.


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