Tag Archives: Earring
Inspired by a Celebrity
These two couples are popular celebrities in the Philippines. I will not go through the story on how their “surprise” “mob” wedding came about (just google: Carmina and Zoren wedding), but I will tell you how I came about noticing the beautiful earrings the bride wore.
THE REQUEST
A client approached me in December and asked if I saw the wedding on tv. I said I did not and she told me her sister, who lives in the US saw it. She was getting married in December and wanted a similar pair of earrings to that of Carmina’s (the celebrity).
TIME FRAME
2 weeks. I had about 2 weeks to make this pair. That, plus 2 other weddings I was preparing for. But I will never back out of a challenge. Besides, new supplies and materials just arrived from the mail and they were just sooo perfect to recreate the piece.
DILEMMA
There were no close up photos of the earrings. The closest I got was this photo:
THE PROCESS
The inspiration piece looked like it had a large diamond stud from where a teardrop-shaped dangler hung and from this dangler, a couple of smaller teardrop-shaped danglers also hung.
The ClassicSparklers’ filigree technique was fully used on this piece. All sterling silver where diamond Swarovski faceted bicones were scattered about for that added shine. For that diamond stud, I used faceted Austrian crystals. For the smaller danglers I used sterling silver bezel set cubic zircons.
THE FINAL PRODUCT
If you want us to recreate an inspiration piece for you, leave us a message here or email us at joanne@classicsparklers.com
A Vintage-Gangster Themed Wedding
It took a years’ worth of collaboration between the bride finally complete the collection.
THE REQUESTS
The bride told me the theme was vintage. Black and white, nothing else. There were lots of inspiration photos sent from Norway and Manila through Facebook and email. I guess you can say that the communication and collaboration was through the World Wide Web! (You can’t get more modern than that!)
The final result came to:
9 pairs of earrings for the Maids of Honor, Bridesmaids and Secondary Sponsors
9 pairs of personalized rosaries for the Principal Sponsors
Wedding Cord
Bridal earrings (of course!)
a. The Wedding Cord
I already knew I wanted to use diamonds. And not just crystals or quartz but its what we (customarily) call in the Philippines as “Russian Diamonds”. To combat the price, I had to purchase this a year ahead even if I would work on it a few months before the big day.
My ever reliable supplier had the right size and the right number of diamonds. They were large, about an inch in length. To stay within budget, I used plated sterling silver components to wrap and bind them together.
b. Earrings for the Entourage
Like every wedding I collaborate with, I have to ask what the dresses will be. I want to make sure that the jewelry will work with the dress or gown and not go against it. The bride said that there will be fascinators.
The ladies’ earrings were easier to make. The bride saw a previous filigree design and decided on it right away. It used blackened sterling silver, Austrian crystals and quartz. To make theirs more unique, I made them larger and used rock crystal quartz and larger briolettes. I thought that would be enough for the earrings to stand out even under their fascinators.
c. Primary sponsors’ tokens
The couple wanted this personalized and how much more personal can you get with birthstones! They decided on full length rosaries with beads made of the sponsors’ own birthstone 🙂 Real and natural gemstones were quite pricey a year ago and their prices have not gone much lower. To stay within budget, I used Austrian crystals and wrapped them together with plated sterling silver components. It will not be much noticed but this made them coordinate well with the wedding cord.
d. Bridal earrings
I had no idea of what the bridal gown would be. The bride just told me she wanted a white dangler similar to a previous design that was composed of freshwater pearls and white jade. …. but didn’t want it to be made of pearls. She wanted the white jade faceted briolette to remain. I searched my stock and was happy to have found some white agate sandstone! This little piece of magic had small “sparkles” all over. Again, to make it different from the inspiration, I used Austrian crystals instead of a regular filigree wrapped ear stud. I covered the agate with sterling silver in ClassicSparklers’ traditional nest design and then wrapped the white jade in sterling silver.
THE RESULT:
a. The Wedding Cord
b. The Ladies’ Entourage Earrings
c. The Personalized Tokens of Primary Sponsors
and
d. The Bridal Earrings
Each piece came with their own Certificate of Authenticity which describes the work process and the meaning between each component.
Should you want a unique wedding experience by gifting your dear participants with something as extraordinary as this? Leave us a message her or email us at joanne@classicsparklers.com
P.S.
Click here to see the full collection for the one of a kind wedding
Rings
As I’ve mentioned before, I am thinking of starting on working with rings.
That was the first and only ring I’ve made until a few weeks ago when a client requested a ring to match the set of Filigree set she was ordering. I got excited, composed myself (which took about a week), then started to work on her ring.
The result: 
As you can see, the band, without the pearl attached is quite pretty by itself! Now, this I will definitely make one for me 🙂
Oh, did I mention that the client loved the Alexandrite ring that she ordered one for herself as well? Here is hers:
I think that this band in filigree setting will also look good with semi precious gemstones 🙂
email me at thedesigner@classicsparklers.com
Circles
The request: versatile earrings with 4 gemstones. Use the endless hoop earrings similar to the Bohemian Embellishment earrings.
The process: I went through all the gemstone briolettes I had to present to the client. Making this involved approximately 4 meetings with constant revisions mostly to check and verify which stone colors suited each other.
The materials: The client finally decided on ruby, sapphire, opalite, and rose quartz.
The result:
All 14k rolled yellow gold.
Great value for your money considering that this piece can be used to suit any occasion ……… and most importantly any outfit!
email me at thedesigner@classicsparklers.com
add us up in Facebook for more design options
Waiting For Supplies to Arrive
After seeing the Trellis earrings, a client was curious about the stones composing the piece. After sending her photos of the Tundra sapphires and beautiful faceted Mozambique garnets, she instantly requested for 2 necklaces that will contain these two. I have worked on the design in my head and decided on how it will look like. Future updates on that soon.
I’ve just finished a huge order of baroque freshwater pearl earrings for a wonderful client who plans to give them as gifts to their lady guests.
I am also working on another tassle earring project after a client saw the Mughal Princess earrings. I will be using her birthstones and those of her two daughters. Another challenging work ahead for this piece and I love it!
Other than those, I have 2 orders for my Floral Retreat neckpieces, a citrine set, South Sea shell pearl necklace, a pair of Nest earrings. The supplies have not arrived yet.
Phew! Reading back through this post, please excuse me for being in and out of blog posting for a while. Although I will do my best to drop in every day, I don’t think I will be able to post long.
In the meantime, why not browse through my shop cause there might be something you might like 🙂
Readers, I will give you a 15% discount if you mention the “BLOGDISCOUNT15” coupon upon checkout 🙂
Trellis
The request: A pair of dangler earrings in the shape of a leaf using garnet gemstones.
The dilemma: None.
The process: The client wanted a pair of garnet earrings. I suggested that we add more than just garnet because this gemstone has a rich wine red color.
Combining it with other gemstones in the same color family will give the piece life and vibrance. So I scoured my suppliers to see what they had and I found these:
Gorgeous gorgeous Tundra sapphires in red-orange, orange, and olive!
With this project, I needed to take my time. Remember, I do not sketch. I knew that I could only work on it during my good creative mood (read: when I feel like it inspired) to achieve the best results.
Fast-forward to 1.4 months, this is how it came out:
As you can see I’ve attached it to peridot cubic zirconia in 14k gold bezel set ear studs.
All other gold is 14k rolled yellow gold.
If you’d like to own something as intricate as this, do leave a message in the comments below or send me a message at my shop.
Mughal Princess
The request: re-work the client’s freshwater pearl earring and pendant. Use sterling silver.
The dilemma: how?
The solution:
Make my mark with the J.Pedreria Collection’s signature nest setting. Add a little sparkle with a diamond cubic zirconia ear stud in bezel setting. It came out like this:
Looks nice. Sparkly. Elegant. Classic.
But remember, ClassicSparklers is all about versatility and creativity. Stopping here cannot and does not put those two principles into place.
How about if we add some tassels?
Wow. The execution is perfect and the earrings become ostentatiously beautiful and glamorous!
But you can’t and do not use this kind of earring to the work place right? I do not think this will go well with a suit.
So let’s make it more versatile: MAKE THE TASSELS DETACHABLE!!
What about the pendant?
I decided to just add the nest setting.
When you have an ornate earring, the necklace should be very simple. Amp it up but do not create a confusion between your neckline and/or your ears/head.
Besides, you can remove both tassels of each earring and add them to the pendant, and VIOLA!
I must admit that this was a very very very very challenging piece.
For the tassels I used beautiful Israeli–cut white topaz from India, silver pyrite also from India and Swarovski crystals. I also made a nice bead cap. All other components are sterling silver.
I plan to make more pieces like this in the future.
If you want to have one customized for you (something to wear for the holidays perhaps? *wink*), leave a comment or send me a message here.
A Very Productive Weekend
My sister needed a gift for her boyfriend’s sister. She requested me to make something for her. I was not satisfied with just one, instead, I made these new earring pieces now available at my store:
As you all are aware of by now, gold prices have gone up. The price for these items are based on the old gold prices (read: very affordable). When my stock runs up, I have no choice but to increase the price of my new items as well.
So what are you waiting for? 🙂
Custom Work
One thing that always gets me excited with this little business endeavor of mine is when a client requests for something I have not done before, meaning: custom work.
This always presents as a challenge to me because I get to be creative as much as I can without sacrificing the idea or theme that the client wants. Most of the time, the request will just be a vague as asking for a specific stone, like garnet to represent her birth month, which is January. With all the exchange of conversations we’ve had over the internet, emails, mostly, I had to make a necklace and earring set using garnet gemstones.
When I make custom work, I always put into consideration what the personality of the client is. Expect me to always ask:
1. What is it for or where will it be used?
2. When do you want it done?
3. Any other special consideration?
After taking all these into consideration, of course, I will have to end up with a design that will also include my signature nest setting. I will check my inventory to see if I have all the materials. If not, I will visit my supplier the following weekend. Otherwise, the creativity begins.
During the process, my original idea will evolve. Most of the time I will not stick to my original design but instead, I will make it better! I think that’s where creativity is best measured. It is the ability to innovate and create something while in the middle of trying to meet all the specifics. In the end, I will be happy with the result, and the client happier than I.
So, anyway, here is one of my custom work.
Garnet. Nest setting. Necklace and earring set. Perfect!
The Classic Pearl
I’ve always considered the Pearl to be the most elegant and classic piece to work with. That is the reason why I always name my pieces “The Classic Pearl”. Pearls are timeless and versatile. They can be worn during any occasion without the wearer looking over accessorized or under accessorized.
I first started using pearls last year. Specifically, I opted for the freshwater pearl because it was much cheaper than the South Sea pearls. I started off with simple designs to test the market and they were a hit! I decided on the regular wire wrap because aside from it being easy to construct, I believed that it was simple and elegant enough to match the focal piece, which is the pearl.
Fast forward to today.
The royal wedding draws near and the internet is flooded with photos of the royal couple, particularly the soon to be princess, Kate Middleton. During one of my surfing, I found several photos which took my breath away. The earrings she wore often were an uncanny resemblance to the classic pearl earrings I made last year!! Not only that, she wore another pair of earrings that was also similar to the citrine earrings also from the same collection!!
No, my friends, I did not make those that she was wearing (although I wish that one day she will carry one of my pieces…:). In my excitement, I have made a collage that emphasizes what I have just said.
Here is a photo of the faceted Austrian crystal earrings in citrine gold wire wrapped in sterling silver and another one wire wrapped in argentium wire:
Here is the collage/the photos of “The Classic Pearl” earrings made from freshwater pearls wire wrapped in 10k solid gold wire:
photos courtesy of lifetimetv.com
These two earrings were from my 2010 Collection. I still make them now although I have upgraded into South Sea shell pearls.
For those who would like to request a custom item, please leave me a message here.
classicsparklers.com 