A Fine Feather: Earrings in Progress

A progress photo of a pair of wire wrapped feather earrings

Lately I’ve been noticing that feather accessories are everywhere! I see long feathers being worn as hair attachments and dangling from earrings. I love the added color and texture that feathers bring to jewelry, and they have the benefit of not contributing a whole lot of extra weight to a piece. Of course, I decided to pair the feathers with some of my favorite stones. I’m using copper wire and chain to bring the feathers and stones together.

For this project, I am embarking on relatively new territory. Its been a learning experience. The folks down at Paradise Beads have been extremely helpful to me throughout this process. They have a good selection of metal findings (the little pieces that attach to the feathers) and they have an amazing selection of feathers.

Before I start anything, I lay out all of my materials in the arrangement I’m envisioning for them. This helps me nail down my color combinations and think about the shapes I’m going to be working with when I wrap the stones. This process always includes a bit of arranging to make sure everything is just right. Next, I attach the feathers to their individual findings, then I wrapped the stones. I work on both earrings, back and forth. This way, I don’t forget what technique I used on one earring before I have the chance to replicate it. The earring on the right is complete, while the earring on the right is not too far off. I’m excited to get this pair finished and up on my site!

Artist- Sarah Orlik