I have been designing earrings, mostly hollow-formed that customers
find very attractive but when they try them on the weight makes them
droop. (This also happens with earrings with stones). I have tried
adjusting the placement of the post and that works sometimes, but
just as often it does not. And I find it very tricky to figure out
just exactly where the post should go at this stage of the
fabrication, making it a pain to move it after the stone is set,
etc. I think some people just don’t have as much muscle in their
ears, or their ear-holes have stretched over the years. Is there a
product I can stock that will help to hold the earring properly on
the ear. I have tried using even the largest ear nuts, but they
don’t seem to make much of a difference. Suggestions
appreciated. Best. . … Grace
There are very inexpensive plastic discs with a hole in them that
can be put on behind the ear that do a great job of supporting heavy
earrings. Most suppliers should have them.
Daniel R. Spirer, GG
Spirer Somes Jewelers
1794 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-491-6000
@spirersomes
www.spirersomes.com
I have been designing earrings, mostly hollow-formed that customers find very attractive but when they try them on the weight makes them droop.
Have you tried using omega clips inconjunction with your posts?
Have you tried using oversized earnuts or earnuts over rubber pads?
Have you tried pre-setting the stone and adding some sticky wax to
keep the stone in place so you can try the piece on before the stone
is permanently set? Then you can make adjustments.
Unfortunately, lots of people have thin or soft earlobes that can’t
support heavy earrings. Aside from using omega clips, large earnuts,
pads and minimizing weight, make balance a key design element.
Sometimes, depending how you distribute the weight, you can get away
with a slightly hefty earring because it doesn’t tip forward or limit
your post placement.
It’s hard to explain, but sometimes, when I have hollow backed
earring, I’ll attach a .8 to .85mm thick wire to an inner wall or
surface that allows me to run the wire parallel to the front face of
the earring and then bend it up (not a super harsh 90 degrees with
plier nicks, but a smooth bend) at the proper location. I cut the
wire, but still leave it a bit long. I round off the end so it can
be safely tried on. If after trying the earring on, the post
placement isn’t correct, I adjust the bend location and swing the
lower arm of the wire laterally as needed. By not making any cuts
in the wire, I can make adjustments.
HTH,
Donna Shimazu
Both Stuller and Rochester findings carry an ear nut with a a small
tab of wire attached. The idea is it provides amore support for
those ear lobes- can’t say so myself as I have noted but not tried
them. Ladies who are attracted to higher style earrings do often
have stretched holes, don’t they?
Brian Charles
Brian Charles Jewelry
5001 transit Road
Williamsville NY 14221
@BChas
It’s the angle of the post on the earring. The angle must be more
acute on the top side on a flat backed earring, so it hangs at 90,
or separate the post from the earring, like on a chain, so it hangs
with the gravitational force of plumb, but i’m probably wrong,dp
Grace, The first earrings I made were for a special order. The lady
had purchased one of my concho belts and wanted earrings to match.
The conchos are 1-3/4 inches in diameter and are cast. She wanted
earrings the same size. I thinned the waxes as much as possible but
the casting were still heavy for earrings. A friend recommended
using sterling omega ear clips along with earring posts. They act as
a clip along with the ear post. They are a little difficult to
solder to the earrings. Worked out fine.
Rio Grande has them shown on page 566 of the August catalog. Item e
thru g. No connection to Rio Grande. It just a way to show you what
I am talking about.
Your Orchid Friend,
Lee Epperson
I have been designing earrings, mostly hollow-formed that customers find very attractive but when they try them on the weight makes them droop.
Grace, have you ever thought of using a loop (wire) that goes up
around behind the ear and just over its top (right next to the
skull), so that you need not use the hole in the ear at all.
Another type I’ve seen uses a heavier wire (attached to the earring)
which arches like “C” and just fits into the lower hollow of the ear
itself, again, bypassing the pierced part of the ear altogether. It
doesn’t sound terribly stable, but at least one person whom I saw
wearing them said they are great and do not fall off.
I keep meaning to try making some of these myself (because I also
make heavier earring) but have never gotten around to it. Does
anyone out there have any patterns or comments on these type of
earring findings?
Judy Bjorkman
Grace,
I think the problem lies in the shape. Have you tried adding a flat
piece to the back of the earring, side to side, paralel (sp?) to the
earlob, then adding the post to it? The concave shape tends to
displace the point of balance on the earring, causing it to move
back towards the neck. When you add the flat piece to the back you
eliminate this problem to a degree, moving the point of balance to a
better location.
If this does not make sense please contact me off list at
sales@thebeadinstitute.com and I will try to send you a sketch.
Hope it helps,
Vera Battemarco
www.thebeadinstitute.com