Etched Japanese Wave Pattern Sterling Silver Earrings

This is one of my favorite patterns.

Etching is a fun, but time consuming process. You start out with sheet silver. You choose your pattern, in this case from my Japanese design book, and print it on special paper. You burnish the design on to the heated metal and then peel off the paper. The silver sheet is then floated on an acid bath. The exposed metal gets etched with the selected pattern. After you have achieved a deep enough etch the silver is neutralized and the blue design is scrubbed off with a solvent.

I then cut out the pattern from the silver sheet using a jeweler's saw, filed, refined and sandpapered the edges to make them smooth. The earrings were polished, then painted with patina to give them color, my favorite copper, blues and greens.

Dimensions : 1 and half inches X 1 and 1/4 inches. The ear wires are sterling silver and can be replaced with comfortable sterling silver clip ons for an additional charge.