Assembling enameled cups

I am a beginner with jewelry making and now enameling. I have a
question about assembling some earrings I have started to make. I
have enamels 2 “cups” one smaller than another. The smaller cup will
sit inside the larger. I have a hole in the center of each cup. My
original idea was to ball a fine silver wire and pass it thru both
“cups” so the ball is in the middle of small cup. But I want a bigger
ball than would be comfortable as a ear wire, like 14 gauge. My
original idea was to have the balled silver be the ear wire. What
would be the best way to do this. Both pieces are enameled front and
back. The cups need to sit on their side facing away from the ear. I
want them to be suspending by ear wires. So when you are looking at
the persons face that is wearing them you can look into the cups and
see the ball of silver in the middle. Any advise would be greatly
appreciated…I am stuck!

Michelle Mahler
tekaandzoe.com

Hi, Michelle,

Your design sounds lovely!

Would the idea of creating a top loop in the wire that passes through
the cups, so that it could be attached to a standard earwire finding,
go with your design? If not – if, for example, you want the wire
that passes through the cups to be continuous up to and through the
earlobe, then you might try filing down and twisting the end of the
wire that goes through the earlobe. Twisting the wire would
work-harden it.

Lorraine

Have you tried tapering the wire at the top, where it goes thru the
ear? Or, soldering silver balls you make separately onto the ends of
the correct size of wire?

Lindsay

But I want a bigger ball than would be comfortable as a ear wire,
like 14 gauge. 

Hi Michelle. Just taper the 14 guage down to a comfortable size. I
do it all the time, mostly using 1" 3M PSA discs on the flex shaft.
I twirl the wire against the disc, which is stuck on a flexible
rubber mandrel. It should only take a couple of minutes.

Allan