Petrified Opalized Wood & Reticulated Silver Statement Earrings
These earrings bring together vivid petrified opalized wood and some of the most process-heavy silverwork I make. The stones are an incredible blue-green, streaked with dark brown veining and traces of the ancient wood structure still visible inside them. Against the darkened silver above, that color really comes alive.
The textured silver inside the upper frames is material I make myself. I begin by melting silver into ingots, rolling it into sheet, then repeatedly heating it to develop the deeply ridged and irregular surface created through reticulation. The process allows the metal itself to move and form its own texture, so every section develops differently.
I built the geometric frames around pieces of that reticulated silver, leaving open areas of negative space between them. Fine silver granules in several sizes were then individually fused across the surface, spilling from the textured areas into the open spaces. The combination gives the silver an almost eroded, geological quality that feels especially fitting alongside stones that began as wood millions of years ago.
The opalized wood is set into separate hinged sections beneath the silver frames, allowing the earrings to articulate and move rather than hanging as one rigid piece. I also made them as a distinct left and right pair so the textured faces naturally orient forward when worn.
Petrified and opalized wood is traditionally associated with grounding, patience and connection to the natural world, drawing much of its symbolism from the extraordinary length of time involved in its formation.
✧ Stone: Petrified opalized wood
✧ Length: Approximately 2½ inches from top of ear wire to bottom of stone
✧ Weight: Approximately 6.5 grams per earring
✧ Ear Wire: Hand-fabricated fish hook wires with left/right orientation
✧ Metal: Sterling silver, fine silver and hand-reticulated silver
✧ Techniques: Reticulation, granulation and traditional hand fabrication
One-of-a-kind and made with care in my studio.
