My first try...

My mother and patron-of-my-art commissioned me to create a pair of earrings as a birthday gift for her friend.  I experimented with a couple of designs, but none seemed to capture Kim's essence.  That's the fun part of designing for someone I know:  I know her general style, her face shape, her hair color, the types of accessories she gravitates toward, etc. 

Figuring she'd like something bold, and knowing she likes black, this is what I came up with.  I wire wrapped onyx beads onto sterling silver tear-shaped frames that I created. 

Both my mom and the birthday girl were very pleased with the end result.  This was fun and I'll certainly do it again. My mind is swirling with ideas and variations.

Another Book I'm Enjoying: 30 Minute Earrings by Marthe LeVan

I literally spend hours at my local Barnes & Noble. I especially love to peruse the art & craft books while sipping coffee at the B&N cafe and attempting to narrow my selection to one or two books.


I really liked 30 Minute Earrings by Marthe LeVan. This book features 60 earring projects, each from a different artist -- all created in 30 minutes or less.

Really cool earrings, too: some made from recycled materials (automobile license plates, VHS tapes -- I kid you not!), others made from traditional materials, others made from budget friendly items.

I also like how the top of each project lists exactly what skills are needed to complete the project. If you don't solder, for example, you can skip ahead to the next project.

That said, my first attempt at one of the projects took about 100 minutes (85 for the first earring, 15 for the second) -- talk about a learning curve! Once I figured it out, though I was zipping along.

If you're looking for out-of-the-box ideas, consider this book. It's available at B&N, Amazon, and I'm sure other places.