Hand made findings

Today's post is about handmade findings. Here are two examples of handmade findings available at http://humboldtsupplies.etsy.com . The top photo is of 20 1 1/2" sterling silver head pins with ball end. The 2nd photo is of 20 gauge sterling silver ear wires made with square wire.

I've taken up making jewelry again after about a 6 year hiatus. I had a lot of beads and findings already. All commercially produced. After I discovered Etsy, and started checking out all the wonderful and different styles of jewelry, I noticed that the jewelry made with hand made findings really stood out. There are even shops dedicated solely to producing hand made findings.

Never one to shy away from trying a new art, I dove right in. I got wire in different gauges, a small butane powered torch, pickle, liver of sulfur, even a tumbler! I have been having a lot of fun making findings. I really wish I had more time to dedicate to working with wire, and hope to spend more time concentrating on this in the near future.

One of the best discoveries I have made is that hand made ear wires are far superior to anything I have ever purchased that is commercially produced. The wire is stronger, stay in the ears better, and take a pair of earrings to a whole new level. Ear wires are not just there to hold your earrings in your ear! They are an important part of the whole piece, and can take your designs to a whole new level.