Illuminating Lotus Earrings Tutorial

Created by: Veronica Greenwood

Designer Tips

Thoroughly clean your blank with Penny Brite. See our enameling blog article for tips, precautions and basic instructions for preparing the piece for enamel, and for torch firing enamels.
Add scoops of desired colors of enamel into depressions in an artist's palette. Add a small amount of Klyr-Fire or distilled water (about 40% liquid to 60% enamel powder). Use the pretty cobalt bottle to add drops of water. It won't really mix like paints, but it will allow you to scoop / dab paintbrush blobs of wet enamel into your design. See Enameled Yellow Submarine for tips on painting with enamel.
Important: Allow your piece to completely dry before firing, or the enamel will boil/volcano off.

See "Pop of Color" for a good description of the torch firing process.
When enameling on brass, your colors can be a bit less predictable than when enameling on copper (especially without a base layer of white). This pair ended up with a pretty (but not entirely expected) pink section at the edges of each enamel color. The marbled opaque beige/pink seed beads nicely pull everything together.
After firing and cooling, create earrings:

Because the gemstone beads are hand faceted, and the whiteheart beads are handmade, sort out matching pairs of beads before assembling earrings.
On your head pin. slide on 1 seed bead, one yellow bead, 1 labradorite bead, 1 yellow bead and 1 seed bead. Wire wrap a loop directly onto the center bottom loop of your connector.
For step-by-step instructions on making wire-wrapped loops, see Jewelry Basics 101 (PDF).
On another head pin, slide on 1 seed bead, 1 yellow bead and 1 labradorite bead, and wire wrap to one of the outside bottom loops on your connector.
Repeat for other bottom loop.
Using a head pin with the end cut off (or a piece of 24-gauge wire), make a wrapped loop and attach to the top loop of your connector. Slide on 1 seed bead and 1 yellow bead and finish with a wrapped loop.
Open the loop on your ear wire with a twisting motion and attach your enameled piece. Twist securely closed.
Repeat for other earring.

Suggested Supplies

1 pair #88-104-08-0 Vintaj Natural Brass Connector, 20mm Lotus Blossom
1 strand (use 6 beads) #21-906-105 Labradorite Gemstone Beads, 6x4mm Faceted Rondelle
1 strand (use 10 beads) #22-110-09-04 Trade Beads, White Heart, 3-4mm
1 tube (use 10 beads) #20-111-1201 TOHO Glass Bead, Size 11 (2.1mm), Marbled Opaque Beige/ Pink
1 100-pack (use 8 pieces) #34-398-6>34-398-6 Antiqued Brass Plated Ball End Head Pin, Thin, 1.5"
1 pair #34-398-6>34-398-6 Antiqued Brass Plated French Hook Ball End Earwire - 2mm Ball
1 pack #81-500-1237-S Thompson Opaque 80-mesh Enamel for Metals - Butter Yellow, Sample
1 pack #81-500-1920-S Thompson Opaque 80-mesh Enamel for Metals - Stump Gray, Sample
1 pack #81-500-1905-S Thompson Opaque 80-mesh Enamel for Metals - Pastel Gray, Sample
1 bottle #81-510-001 Klyr Fire Holding Medium