Enamel

Here are my first couple of pairs of enamel earrings.   I start with either sawing a circle out of a sheet of copper or using a cutter and a giant hammer to punch out a circle.  This is loud.  I love hammering the *&^% out of the steel punch.  To get an oval I put the copper circle through a press.  Holes are drilled at this point and precision pays off here so that all 3 discs line up when you assemble them later.  Next, I clean the copper in a cleaning solution for 20 minutes or so.  The solution sits in the corner of the art room in a crock pot on low, this would be the pickle.  Next I paint a base coat of clear enamel on the discs after drying them and cleaning them with a scratchy pad.  If copper isn't clean, enamel won't adhere.  Then they cook away in a 1,500 degree kiln for about 2 minutes.  Once cool I coat them with a powdered, colored glass to actually enamel them.  I use a tiny little sifter to shake powered glass all over the copper pieces.  Back in the kiln they go for another firey 2 minutes.  Sometimes I need to coat them with color again and again to get the right color and/or texture.  Too little heat and they look like orange peel.  Finally the enameled pieces are assembled on earring wires (these can also be handmade). 

The best part is that the earrings can be made reversible (I am doing that next) so that all 3 colors can be turned around for multiple and fantastic color combinations.  I love my little switcher upper earrings :)