Banksia Baxteri Leaf Earrings
These earrings are handmade in my studio and feature sterling silver shepherd hooks which are super strong and are made using 1mm thick wire so you'll hopefully never lose an earring again!
Made from recycled Copper, these Banksia Baxteri Leaf Earrings are intricately handmade.
Each design starts out from a sketched drawing. It is then transferred to the metal using a template I've traced around and then precisely hand cut using my hand saw and a super fine saw blade. I then cut and solder each leaf centre vein and jump ring on, file the edges smooth and then hand stamp the leaf segments using a metal stamp and hammer to finish off the leaf detail.
All surfaces are then sanded to remove any scratches and polished using various grades to reveal a shiny finish.
The next step is adding the patina or oxided black finish).
Each piece is cleaned using soapy water, I then submerge them in hot water and then into a hot patina solution and watch for the chemical blackening reaction to take effect. The pieces are then rinsed in a bicarbonate soda/water solution and then cold water ensuring the patina solution has been neutralised and the excess chemical removed from the metal. Each piece is then hand sanded with a fine emery paper to remove any excess patina on the surface. Finally the sterling silver shepherd hooks are added and they are finished.
These earrings measure approximately 90mm tall and 15mm wide and are very light weight.
The Oxide / Patina is a surface treatment that will wear away over time, revealing the metal below. This is exacerbated if cleaned to much, so I recommend only cleaning when necessary. Should you wish to have them re-oxided after the patina has worn away, just contact me and I can arrange this service.
After the patina has worn off, should you wish to maintain a bright shiny appearance you will need to keep cleaning them regularly using Brasso or a green scourer pad (see cleaning tips for more information).
All Meekz jewellery comes with complimentary gift wrapping.