Calla Lily Silver Earrings!

In this instructable, I will walk you through the steps you need to create your own calla lily earrings (or any other earring). Since I was a kid, I has a fascination with flowers, and especially calla lilies; so simple, elegant, and unique. This is a silver piercing project, and if you're someone who is piercing silver for the first time I estimate you'll need 6-10 hours from start to finish. LET'S START!

Materials:

• Metal Sheet: In this project, I used a sterling silver sheet, but I would recommend starting out with brass or another cheaper metal to practice and experiment before using silver in this economy.
• French Wire Hooks: Also called ear wires. I would recommend using silver hooks as they will be in contact with the skin and cheaper options could cause irritation.
• Jump Rings: to connect the pierced metal earring with the hook.

Tools:

• Saw Frame
• Metal Cutting Blades
• Bench Pin
• Small drill or rotary tool: to make tiny holes
• Small half round file and sanding paper
• A sharpie or a vinyl cutter/Cricut to make sticker stencils (I recommend the latter)
• Pliers

Set-up:

Use the pin to fix your bench pin on a table or a desk. As you start piercing you'll notice that it is easier done when you are not too high off the table. If that was the case, either lower your chair or try to find a higher serface for the bench press.

Insert the metal blade in the frame saw and tighten it well. The blade should be tensioned and should ring when you pluck it. The blade should be facing outwards and downwards relative to the frame.

Finally, you will need to have the design on the sheet metal to work as a guide. I have tried using sharpies before to draw what I want, but it was challenging to keep it on, so I instead made a sticker of the stencil and it worked perfectly. My stencil can be found in the attachements, please feel free to use it!

You will most likely want to start with the interior piercings first. to do so, start by drilling holes. Release one end of the metal blade, thread it through the hole, and then tighten it again on the saw frame. Take a look at the attached photos and videos for a visual guide to this.

Once you are done with the interior cuts, move to the exterior cuts. For these, You can either get to the from the sides, or create more holes clser to to your design and again, insert the blade through them, and pierce the piece.

Few things to keep in mind:

• ALWAYS have your hand behind the blade to avoid injuries.
• You might want to leave a tiny bit of tolerance around the piece, you can remove it as you file.
• Sharp turns can and will most likely break the blade, always aim for curves to avoid that, and use the file to create more of the sharper edges.

Use the half round file to smooth down the edges of your earring, remove any burr, and remove extra metal in case you had any.

In this step, you have the choice between rounding the edges, creating what looks like a fillet, which is what I did in my earrings, or you can choose to keep the edge straight. Decide on what kind of aesthetics your going for (sweet vs. strong) and go for it!

To finish the earrings, you would want to use sanding paper to get to 400 grit, and then the possibilities are infinite, and it is completely up to you. Some options you might consider:

• Keep sanding until you get to a mirror finish. This is what I did with mine.
• You can use polish straight after 400, and it would give good results.
• Bead blast the earrings to give them a matte finish.
• If you are using a metal besides silver, you might also consider powder coat it.

P.S.: the photos include the next step.

This step is straight forward: Use the plier to open up the jump ring, insert the french hook and the earring, and close it tightly.

If you have experiece soldering and have access to the tools, you can solder it to seal it. However, this step might take practice if you are not used to do it, and it is an optional step, so do not feel stressed about it.

Your earrings are ready! Sometimes, it is hard to wear something that we have put a lot of time and effort in in fear of ruining it. This is a kind reminder to remember to enjoy it and make the most of it. You had put it love as you made it, and it deserves to witness some of the memories you create while wearing them.