Fine Silver Palm Tree Earrings

I just finished a custom order for a pair of fine silver palm tree earrings.  They are large and thick, by request.  At first, I thought that would make it an easier job, as far as forming and sanding goes...but oh boy was I wrong!  It's funny, some of my more difficult jobs are the ones that I think will be simple or easy.

  There are almost 16 grams of clay in each earring.  I thought that might make them to heavy, but the lady I made them for tried one on before I finished, and they're fine.  Here's what they look like:

And here's a photo of them with a ruler to show size context:



I wanted them to have a mirror finish.  Oh my, the sanding and polishing that required!  Also, the top of the palm trees are not attached to the frame.  This gave me some concern because fine silver is softer than sterling silver.  But, they are pretty thick and I tumbled the daylights out of them to further work harden them.

In the end, I'm happy with them, and so is my customer!

Have a great day!

Janie