ArtFire

COPPER EARRINGS, NIOBIUM WIRES, "SMILE"

Love the warmth of copper but allergic to copper earwires? No problem! These earrings have wires made from annodized Niobium (see below). The copper charms have a patina on them to show detail. I stamped them with the word "smile". The last picture shows what the charms look like without the patina. If you would like to order some without a patina, please contach me by clicking below.



I made the copper heart charms from "Coppr Clay". This is a material made from particles of real copper mixed with an organic binder. It is similar to clay. After the charms are formed, dried and the rough spots sanded off, I fire them in the kiln at about 1600 degrees Farenhiegt. All the organic binder burns out and only the copper is left. Because each charm is handmade, there will be slight variations in each one.



Niobium is a relative of titanium. It is very hypo-allergenic. (For example, until recently I could only wear earwires or posts that were 14K gold-filled. Now I have discovered that I can wear Niobium and also Argentium Sterling.) When electrical current is applied to Niobium it will change colors. This is called annodizing, and you can get some beautiful colors. These particular earwires are supposed to be brass colored, but they look like copper to me.

copper clay, annodized niobium wires