Should I make these into earrings?

[glitterata]

I just got these beautifully made Victorian collar buttons or studs on ebay (for $9.99!). The top part is gold with black enamel, set with a pearl. The bottom looks like vermeil to me (the seller called it "gilt metal").

Since they were so cheap and are such a nice size for it, I''m considering having a jeweler laser weld earring fittings to the back to make them into stud earrings. But I have never managed to make myself do that. I just can''t bear to alter something so old. But I don''t need collar studs, and I''m sure I would wear them if they were earrings.

Does anyone want to encourage me?

Also, should I have the jeweler cut off the bottom part, or should I just have him stick the earring findings onto the lower disk?

Also, does anyone want to discourage me on the grounds that they look too much like breasts?

 

[glitterata]

Another angle.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Breasts? It never occured to me until you mentioned it!

I wonder if you might be only able to get away wth a lead solder for the stud--soft materials to work with (I remember those days....)

cheers--Sharon

 

[glitterata]

Thanks, Sharon.

I found a laser welder in the Diamond District (NYC 47th St) who does good, tidy work for not a lot of money. I think that''s as safe for the piece as lead solder, and nicer-looking and safer.

So the question really is whether I should do it at all (and should I have him cut off the back disk). What do you think?

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 1/30/2009 12:29:54 PM
Author: glitterata
Thanks, Sharon.

I found a laser welder in the Diamond District (NYC 47th St) who does good, tidy work for not a lot of money. I think that''s as safe for the piece as lead solder, and nicer-looking and safer.

So the question really is whether I should do it at all (and should I have him cut off the back disk). What do you think?

HI:

Thats good. So you want him to cut the existing stud off; file it even, then place a backing on. Seems reasonable if no hole is made. Would look good. But would they be heavy?

cheers--Sharon

 

[glitterata]

No, they''re not heavy. They''re pretty tiny. Even with the back part on, they weigh the same as my favorite Victorian gold earrings (see below).

I guess I''m really just hesitating to mangle them. They''ve made it through more than a century in such good shape. Would it be mean of me to mess them up?

Would it be better to leave the button disk on, to make my alteration reversible? Would that look too odd? It would be easier for the jeweler, anyway.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

Date: 1/30/2009 12:07:58 PM
Author:glitterata
I just got these beautifully made Victorian collar buttons or studs on ebay (for $9.99!). The top part is gold with black enamel, set with a pearl. The bottom looks like vermeil to me (the seller called it ''gilt metal'').

Since they were so cheap and are such a nice size for it, I''m considering having a jeweler laser weld earring fittings to the back to make them into stud earrings. But I have never managed to make myself do that. I just can''t bear to alter something so old. But I don''t need collar studs, and I''m sure I would wear them if they were earrings.

Does anyone want to encourage me?

Also, should I have the jeweler cut off the bottom part, or should I just have him stick the earring findings onto the lower disk?

Also, does anyone want to discourage me on the grounds that they look too much like breasts?

This made me laugh...the thought never occured to me until I read this!
Honestly, I hate to alter anything with a history, but if you are not going to use them in their current state then why not?! I think they would be pretty with french hooks on them, but studs would be pretty too!

 

[Circe]

If you want to leave them as is, going off of Diamond*Dana''s suggestion, why not have a loop installed around the existing button disk, and attach a french wire to that? No soldering necessary, no chance of damaging the enamel, and you''ll have the comfort of knowing you haven''t irrevocably altered a piece of history ... though, personally speaking, I wouldn''t worry too much about that.

I doubt that shirt studs will be coming back into fashion anytime soon, and I rather think it sad when I come across unused antiques in pristine condition: they''ve never been properly loved. I have a ice-blue chinese silk dress wrap dress from the 40s or 50s that I found at a flea market: it is perfect. My first impulse is to leave it be and only wear it in controlled surroundings: if it''s survived 60 years, what a shame it would be if I were to spill a glass of red wine on it! But, on the other hand, at least then it would fulfill its purpose as a dress: to get its wearer into fun situations in which the possibility of red wine and spillage is at least a possibility. Carpe diem, right?

 

[glitterata]

Hm...I have so many dangly earrings, and so few studs...

I think I''m going to try to get myself to convert these. Maybe it will encourage you to wear your dress, Circe.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 1/30/2009 4:23:25 PM
Author: Circe
I have a ice-blue chinese silk dress wrap dress from the 40s or 50s that I found at a flea market: it is perfect. My first impulse is to leave it be and only wear it in controlled surroundings: if it''s survived 60 years, what a shame it would be if I were to spill a glass of red wine on it! But, on the other hand, at least then it would fulfill its purpose as a dress: to get its wearer into fun situations in which the possibility of red wine and spillage is at least a possibility. Carpe diem, right?

Tee Hee, I just wanted to say how much I liked this little story circe - and you''re outlook

G, I think you should wear them.

 

[K9]

These would make fabulous earrings! And no, no one is going to be thinking about their likeness to breasts.

 

[LGK]

Go for earrings. I''d probably have the disk on the back left on... easier that way I''d think, and that way you could remove the posts if you wanted to. I''m all for using antiques and enjoying them- I will even have wine out of my Steuben stems, or my Libbey animal stems... even though if I broke one I would cry- it is too much fun to use things and enjoy them. (There''s one collector I know who buys these beautiful, very rare patterns of Shelley teacups priced in the hundreds of dollars... and guess what she does with them? Boxes them up and puts them under her bed! She never uses them or even puts them in a cabinet to look at- she''s too afraid of damaging them. That always makes me sad

.)

And these will not likely ever get used unless they become earrings... so unless it''s a museumworthy treasure, my opinion is for alteration if it gets use out of an item that otherwise would be completely obsolete.

Very cool find!

 

[glitterata]

Well, I did it. I made them into stud earrings. I had the laser jewelry repair people in Laser Booth on 47th Street cut off the back part and laser on some gold stud posts. They came out great--I think they''re going to be my favorite studs. As Kitten says, they''re not museum pieces, and this way I''ll get to wear them.

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone!

(The Laser Booth people do a quick, neat job. Not super exquisitely high end perfection, but perfectly adequate, lightning fast, and quite inexpensive. They also sized a platinum ring for me. The job was ready the next day. Laser Booth, 76 W. 47th, if anyone''s looking for quick, cheap, competent jewelry repair.)

 

[oldmancoyote]

Well done! Now, of course, we want to see them on! Earshots, please.

 

[AGBF]

glitterata, I never saw the original questions posed, so I got to see the questions asked and answered all at once: instant gratification! Except that I, also, would like to see photos of the earrings on your ears of course! Please, do, post them!

AGBF

 

[glitterata]

Thanks, Mr. Coyote & Deb. I''ll get DH to shoot my ears tomorrow (ouch! but you know what I mean).

 

[glitterata]

A little blurry, but you get the idea. I think they''re going to be very useful, always appropriate--the little black dress of ear studs.

 

[miraclesrule]

Wow, those are awesome. You are very creative, because I would never have thought to have buttons made into earrings. You rock!!

 

[KatyWI]

Those are GORGEOUS!!!!

Brilliant decision!!

 

[AGBF]

Date: 3/28/2009 12:34:29 PM
Author: glitterata

I think they're going to be very useful, always appropriate--the little black dress of ear studs.

glitterata, you should patent them! I mean it! You could produce a line of them called "little black dress ear studs" (or something similar) in an elegant, not a cheap, material and market them to women like us! I think they could be worn every day,,,as I used to wear my black patent leather heels to the office every day! (In those days I wore plain pearl studs as my daily earware to accompany the patent pumps!)

AGBF

 

[glitterata]

Thank you, Miracle, Katy & Deb!

Deb, I thought of you as I wore them today--the gold surrounding the pearl is a rich yellow color of the kind you like to wear.

If I were the entrepreneurial sort, I would take your advice. I think they really could catch on. They're extremely comfortable, and dressy or casual depending on what else you're wearing. Maybe one of the board jewelers will take the idea and run with it.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 3/28/2009 12:34:29 PM
Author: glitterata
A little blurry, but you get the idea. I think they''re going to be very useful, always appropriate--the little black dress of ear studs.

Oh thoughs would be beautiful!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

They''re lovely!

cheers--Sharon

 

[Rhea]

They look great! Much better than I thought they would when you first posted them. I''m surprised and impressed that you thought to make them into earrings.

 

[Dandi]

They look awesome!! Enjoy!!

 

[whitby_2773]

oh! glitterata! love them!

very classic

 

[DiaDiva]

Love them and they look amazing on you!

 

[oldmancoyote]

They look great. And whatever you ended up doing (keeping or removing the back of the button?), made them stand ab-so-lu-te-ly right where they need to. Congratulations!

 

[glitterata]

Thank you, everyone!

I had the jeweler cut off the disk and attach the gold post directly to the button, so it sits flush against my ear.