See the video below to see the mother of pearl being cut! Thanks to tools and exquisite hand finishing beautiful earrings are created that enthrall and last lifetimes.
Who would have thought that a bunch of wings and bodies would turn out into beautiful earrings!
after testing the sizes of butterflys we chose a body we cast in metal and a wing we cut in mother of pearl!
Maybe I will add a removable pearl drop!
Back to the drawing board and design a cap that works with the butterfly , fun!!!!
When Gregore was working on his mother of pearl, sterling silver and 18k yellow gold earrings, I was inspired to work on my beloved moth/butterfly earring design. There is something so precious about this insect and it's delicate wings. Of course without gregore's ingenious mastery of the CNC mill they would not be turning out as lovely. Stay tuned for the next series of Blogs/passions to see their development. if you want to see Gregore's "to bee or not to bee" earrings see his Blog/Passions.
Some of the later drawings when I hone in on the shape of the preferred butterfly.
Gregore and Jennifer-rabe Jewelers in Santa Barbara, CA
Here are three different sizes and shapes of the cut wax painted with goache to show the effect in 18 k yellow gold and mother of pearl.
Gregore and Jennifer-rabe Jewelers in Santa Barbara, CA
You know how I love those natural pearls and shells. Recently we purchased some exquisitely colored ones we had never seen before. They are actually Pistachio GREEN. They look great on too, especially accented with Green Zircon and 18 karat Yellow Gold. They are small, cute, and easy to wear every day.
Pistachio Green Tahitian Pearl Earrings with Green Zircon and 18 karat Yellow Gold
Handmade by Gregore and Jennifer-Rabe Jewelers in Santa Barbara, CA
The shell and pearl rings are done! Gregore and I will be displaying them first at the Simply the Best Wedding Showcaseof Santa Barbara, October 30th 2016 from 11am-3pm, atthe Santa Barbara Rockwood Women’s Club, 670 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara, CA.
Afterwards, November 3rd-December the 4th2016, we are showing a series of rings including these shell and pearl rings at Diana Vincent Contemporary Fine Jewelry Gallery, 12 North Union Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530
These are the raw materials for the pearl and shell jewellery. The castings are not yet filed and sanded, the pearls are undrilled, the shells uncut. See below for the finished rings
I had some extra pearls so I thought these beautiful colored pearls would make nice stackable rings.
These pearl rings are like a tiara on your finger.
The Lollipop ring in naturally colored shell and pearls enhance your day or your night.