Pompeii: save my earrings!

[movie zombie]

made my choice and sent everything back to Jeremy on Friday.
he rec'd them yesterday but Hisano had returned home from her trip today and he'll look at them tomorrow.
unfortunately, I won't be home tomorrow.
I asked him to look at my choice and see what he thinks, then we'll talk.
i'm open to him making more suggestions....apparently, he has many that he thinks would work for this project.
I opted for the larger, less shiny but certainly even nacre set.
the silver ones were lovely but so shiny that I think they would look too modern.

hubby thinks I should go 22k gold....I said I thought 18k would be fine [as well as stronger].
Jeremy agrees with hubby.
i'm out numbered: so, what is a woman to do?
since we're talking basically wire and if I go 22k it should be that pricey, although Jeremy says the wire would need to be of sufficient gauge to be strong enough and he will need to drill accordingly.
22k will give certain rich look that I know i'd appreciate....!

 

[aprilzephyr]

MovieZombie - hi! I've been doing a bit of pearl research and stumbled upon the photo above on a jewelry blog and they reminded me of your future Pompeii earrings, albeit a much more blinged out version! I can't wait to see how yours turn out

I also wanted to chime in that I think 22kt gold will be fine for your earrings too. Gold (even high carat ones) in my experience have been much more resilient than expected. Although I wouldn't recommend it, I wore a 24t gold chain bracelet 24/7 for two weeks recently and the bracelet held up really well.

 

[movie zombie]

good grief: blinged out is an understatement!

but good "architecture" never dies out, does it?!

i'm leaning towards 22k. the wire will have to be a bit thicker than for 18k but, hey, this is a project that screamed "me me me" when I read the article and saw the picture.

eta: Jeremy says of the 4 I like best that two for sure he had picked and possibly even a 3rd. the 4th has a pink undertone and he has selected a replacement for my approval. slowly but surely the project moves forward!

 

[movie zombie]

so, the project does proceed though slowly due to circumstance beyond my control.
I have found a high karat artisan.
Jeremy at PP has 4 pearls set aside for me in the following dimensions:
9.01 by 9.81
9.7 by 10.18
9.27 by 10.07
9.8 by 9.2
the first measurement is diameter and the 2nd is length.
I choose 3 and he choose the 4th to go with them.
I like the size and Jeremy doesn't have anything smaller......

high karat artisan is concerned re weight with pearls of those dimensions and using 22k gold and thinks that the hook should be replaced with a post. I think I agree. still can have the "spot" of gold that is on the horizontal bar but incorporate a post. the reason I think I agree is that my piercings are old and extremely stretched. I have purchased devices to help earrings stay in place but with any weight they are of minimal help if any at all. although I did want to replicate the earrings I also knew when I saw them that they might be heavy for my ear lobes. my practical side says its better to have a post and i'm ok with that.

however, pearl and high karat gold ladies of P*, i'd like to have your input before I proceed.


better picture of my inspiration:

 

[periwinklegirl]

This will probably be considered a travesty, but nonetheless,

If weight is truly a concern, would you consider having them made of something lighter (lower karat gold or even silver) and then get a nice thick plating of 24k gold over it for the colour?

 

[aprilzephyr]

MZ, what are the overall tones of your pearls? Have you discussed alloys with your artisan? Perhaps there is an alloy at 18kt that may give you that high karat look(or is there a 22kt alloy that is more durable)? I came across this article ages ago that talked about higher strength alloys for purer gold, but I didn't take the time to research it further: http://www.cibjo.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=571:high-strength-alloys-breathing-new-life-into-24k-jewellery&catid=37&Itemid=252

I know this isn't comparable as earrings have different stresses, but this is my 22kt bangle that I've had for a bit more than a year, and I usually wear it for weeks at a time (and not being all that careful either - I even take it into the shower when I forget to remove it), and as you can see it's still quite shiny. I haven't had it polished since purchasing it:

 

[movie zombie]

18k gold was my original idea....hubby thinks 22k....and Jeremy agrees. sigh.

silver would not be "authentic" for the time period.

I considered someone in SF who does lead-free pewter and then uses 22 karat gold over it [evelyn knight in SF] but I don't know if she does "commission" work. I own a pair of her earrings and they are very light.

I think i'd go 18k before i'd go the plating route.

eta: the 22k wire comes in different gauges and to get the gap between the pearls as in the original, means these won't be dainty 1/2 inch horizontal bar earrings.... the gauge will be strong enough but will add weight. while i'm "replicating" it is a fact that my earrings will be larger than the original......which is ok with me because dainty gets lost on me.

 

[NacreLover]

Thank you for the update. I can't wait to see your finished project. Jeremy has a great eye for pearls and jewelry. He and Hisano will make your earrings look "just right".

 

[AGBF]

This is an exciting project, MZ. Thank you for posting about it in The Gold Thread or I would never have known about it! Unlike some of my fellow posters from The Gold Thread who I see have been following along with your plans all along, I never had a clue what you were up to! I just don't get around on Pricescope that much! I hope you do have the earrings made in high karat gold, if not 22K. I love my 22K and 24K jewelry.

Deb/AGBF

 

[movie zombie]

I think switching the hook out and having a post takes care of the weight issue.
and I think the 22k gold isn't an issue as the wire comes in different gauges.
the only issue for me at this point is changing the hook out for a post going to still be in keeping with my "vision".
I think it will work....
what say you?

 

[maccers]

Circe posted an interesting question regarding gold alloys...could be of benefit to you

I can't wait to see your earrings!

ETA: A link would be helpful, no? [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gold-alloys-and-strength-durability-discuss.189026/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gold-alloys-and-strength-durability-discuss.189026/[/URL]

 

[movie zombie]

it is the design change from a hook to a post that i'm asking about...............
will that change the "spirit" of the design too much?

 

[naria]

Personally I think that a post would very much change the design. That being said the earrings would still be lovely. If you want to keep the original ancient vibe, I would keep the dangle, but wear earlobe protector disks with the earrings. They help bear some of the weight and keep the lobe from stretching too much.

 

[movie zombie]

unfortunately and specifically my right ear lobe piercing is really stretched......I mean really stretched. almost to the point of tearing through....which happened, was repaired and then re-pierced. however, it was again stretched and i'm now stuck with this problem. sigh.

the earlobe protectors I have are not very strong......but I've ordered others to try.

I also have an earqulizer that works well with larger pearl studs. won't work with hooks, though.

 

[seaurchin]

I am not good at "picturing" things that I can't see. My thoughts contradict each other somewhat, but fwiw:

1) Were post earrings worn in that time period? I mean, if the point is to duplicate the earrings found at Pompeii, then...

2) Then again, most important is to be able to actually wear them, right? So maybe #1 above doesn't matter that much.

3) Another thought, since the weight is a problem with the ears, could it be a pendant instead? Maybe with an additional bar between the two pairs, a kind of "bib," still using all four pearls and keeping the "spirit" of the original earrings.

 

[movie zombie]

UPDATE: I did say I wasn't in any hurry, right?! well if not here I did tell Jeremy and the local artisan that.....

pearls are in Jeremy's desk while he is in asia.
upon his return they'll be drilled and sent to me the week after he's back.
i'll hand off to local artisan and they should be done by July 27!

and I decided to go with a post where the hook is attached to the horizontal bar.......so they won't be a complete replica but merely "inspired by".....

this is the "local artisan": http://lynettecederquist.com/Welcome.html

she's delirious happy to have a commission in high karat gold and does lots of Etruscan type work. I've been emphatic that this is not Etruscan and will remain simple........ she has a few other commissions and has some shows so the timing for her to complete my project is perfect. she came very highly recommended by the silversmith that I "frequent" and in fact she trained with him when first learning skills in silver and then she later moved on to gold.

 

[Agneau]

I am excited to see this happen!

 

[LitGeek]

Your "local artisan's" work is beautiful! Can't wait to see how your earrings turn out. I am sure they will be amazing

 

[Pattye]

Thank you for the update on your earring project! The goldsmith does amazing pieces, so excited for your earrings, too!

 

[mrs taylor]

so excited to see the final product!

 

[misskittycat]

I can't wait to see the final result. Thanks for sharing the website of the artist who will make them - I always love seeing interesting pieces like that.

 

[movie zombie]

Jeremy is back, pearls are drilled and being mailed today! I will have them to Lynette either at the end of the week or beginning of next week. project is on track for a July 27 completion. starting to excited!

 

[LitGeek]

How exciting! I was so happy to see your thread pop up. I am anxious to see these earrings when they are finished

 

[misskittycat]

How exciting!! I can't wait to see them in all their splendid glory!!

I need a new project. My tahitian drops arrived and I am not getting my SoC pearls set until next year...... And my strand of Tahitians isn't coming until Christmas..... In the interim I will follow your project with bated breath!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Ohhhh, yes! Keep us posted!!

cheers--Sharon

 

[movie zombie]

met yesterday with "the artisan" Lynette. have confidence in a work.....however, won't be inexpensive. sigh.
22k gold in 14 and 16 gauge. pearls were to substantial for the original idea of using 22 gauge. earrings are going to very close to the original picture, including now going with the wire. however, won't be done by end of the month as planned.

 

[NacreLover]

Thanks for posting how your project is going. I was wondering about it.

 

[LitGeek]

Yay! You are one step closer to having them completed

 

[bsomlo]

I'm looking forward to seeing pictures!

 

[movie zombie]

I picked them up yesterday.....much delay in the project because I dropped out for a while.
the artisan was great to work with and very understanding....thinks it is grand that I give myself such permission!
anyway, they are done. this picture was before she hammered them. they look even more "authentic" now.
hubby loves them as well!
only one tweek needs to be made: reverse pearls on one of the earrings as the circles are too prominent when viewed face forward. otherwise, very happy!