A custom order of earwires hits the plate after tumbling (plate hand decorated by my lil' sis).
After bending the wire I file the end that sticks in your ear lobe. The tumbling process, as well as adding a polish and work hardening the metal, completes the filing rounding the ends.
I'm very proud of my handcrafted supplies, the earwires are selling very well and are available in copper, brass, sterling and goldfill. The copper ones are the only ones I hammer routinely to work harden and stabilise the design but it is possible on all the others as a decorative finish.
I'm hoping in the near future to compile a showcase of images from some of the very talented artists who have used my earwires in some stunning creations - I was looking thru them last night and was amazed at how creative people can be.
My Etsy shop is now almost totally supplies now. It's a little sad to me but that seems to be what sells well on Etsy these days. I guess since the marketing of the site has been geared so heavily at the crafting community that this should be no surprise. The majority of people who know how to use the site are crafters and usually fellow sellers. Previously most of my jewelry sales went to new buyers, often those who had signed up on the day they made their purchase, but this hasn't been happening in a long time (except my 100th sale was my stamped ceramic pendant!).
Now I read in forums that sellers are being discouraged from revealing TMI in threads and advised not to send any more than a business card and invoice in with packages. At risk of sounding like an old fogey, the little extras were what made buying on Etsy an exciting thing "back in the old days".
Times change.
