Etched Silver And Gold Fan Pattern Earrings

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. You burnish the design on to the heated metal. The silver sheet is then floated on an acid bath. The exposed metal gets etched with the pattern. The metal is then floated in a neutralizing bath. 

The earrings  were cut away from the surrounding metal using a jeweler's saw. The edges were filed and sanded to make them smooth and soft. The earrings were then depletion gilded by heating and putting them in a mild acid. This brought up the pure silver to the surface after doing it 6 times. The earrings were then burnished with 24K Gold foil in places, an ancient technique called Keum Boo. They were painted with patina to accent the texture. I was pleased to get my favorite blue, purple and copper colors.

These long graceful earrings make you feel taller.

Dimensions : 2 and 1/4 inch long by 1/2 inch wide. Sterling silver ear wires. These can be switched to comfortable sterling silver clip ons for an additional charge.