Faceted Pyrite & Reticulated Silver Statement Earrings
These long, open earrings are built around the contrast between highly textured silver and bright faceted pyrite. The pyrite sits almost suspended within each frame, catching the light with a metallic flash against the darkened, irregular silver surrounding it.
The textured silver 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. It's a slow process that allows the metal itself to move and form its own texture, which means every section develops differently.
I used pieces of that reticulated silver throughout the elongated hand-fabricated frames, then added fine silver granules individually across the composition. Some emerge directly from the textured silver while others extend into the open spaces, creating a scattered pattern that travels around the pyrite without filling the entire frame. The negative space is as important to the design as the metal, allowing all of that detail to remain visible without making the earrings feel visually dense.
At the center of each earring is a rose-cut pyrite cabochon. Its geometric facets and metallic surface give you a completely different kind of texture from the rugged silver around it, flashing from pewter to bright silver-gold as the earrings move.
I made the ear wires specifically as a left and right pair so the textured faces naturally orient forward when worn.
Pyrite has traditionally been associated with confidence, protection and prosperity, and is often thought of as a stone of determination and personal strength.
✧ Stone: Rose-cut pyrite
✧ Length: Approximately 3 inches from top of ear wire to bottom of earring
✧ Weight: Approximately 7.5 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.
