I had to hit up my local hometown hardware store for some other items when I took a detour down the copper and brass fittings aisle. I love the myriad of tiny little drawers with diagrams of the metal bits within. In this particular aisle, the drawer wall was so very tall that a rolling ladder stood at the ready nearby. I climbed up gingerly when a sketch caught my eye for a compression nut. I liked the wide opening at the bottom and the smaller hole at the top along with the hexagon shape reminiscent of the dais on which the Buddha was standing.
The wavy lines of the Buddha's robes captivated me. I had an idea that I wanted to do something with a tassel shape and the compression nut would make a great cap. But instead of soft threads or fibers, I used a brass wire in 16 gauge. How to make a hard material appear soft? After filing the edges I used a pliers to make gentle waves in the wire. Flattened, then used a texture hammer provided some lines. They give a gentle wiggle when the earrings are moved.
To bring the teal bloom of the time-worn patina, I used some Vintaj metal patina paint in Onyx, Aged Bronze, Moss and Verdigris. Wiped off and sanded, this gives the perfect appearance of age.
At the top are some polymer clay disk beads from Humblebeads in teal with tiny blooms reminiscent of the flowers carved on the hand of the Buddha. The face of Buddha is so tranquil, serene. So these are called Tranquil Waves.
But I can never stop at just one pair. ;-)
I made a second pair inspired by the flame rising from the top of the Buddha's head and the swirl bindi on this forehead. I remembered that I had some vintage NOS (new old stock) hammered brass disk post earrings. These paired with the inverted flame-shaped dangles and some perfectly swirled silver plated beads. To make the different metals and shapes compatible, I used the same Vintaj patinas. The flame on the top of Buddha's head is referred to as The Flame of Enlightenment. Simple name for simple earrings.
Your turn! I look forward to seeing how you translated this ancient artifact into your earring designs. Share your version of the inspiration in the links below.
