Oak Leaf Earrings

The valley we live in is named for the venerable oak trees that can be found in our rugged glen. We are lucky to live beside and experience some of the last remaining ancient oak woodland in Ireland. Oak trees support 284 insect species and 324 lichens and can live over 1000 years. I am privileged to be a custodian of land that supports several of these wonders of nature. I chose to recreate these leaves in silver and enamel as a tribute to these marvels of biodiversity, in the hope that they will encourage others to appreciate, protect and grow our forests.

Oak leaves are wrought in fine silver precious metal clay - each is moulded from original leaves, then details are syringed on painstakingly by hand. The clay is then sintered at 800 degrees Celsius for two hours to transform it into solid fine silver.

Vitreous enameling is an ancient decorative process, the earliest example of which is found on a ring dated to 13BC. Each leaf is burnished and polished and then vitreous enamel is applied to both sides in layers of powdered glass frit. This is a meticulous process as each layer is only a grain of glass thick and is fused at 790 degrees before the next layer is applied. This requires 8-10 firings for each piece to achieve the desired colour and depth.

The remaining exposed silver is polished to a high shine to complement the almost liquid appearance of the enamel.

Leaves - Fine silver Hallmarked 999 and vitreous enamel, length 21.4mm

Ear wires - Sterling silver

Total drop from apex of ear wire to tip of leaf - 48 mm

ONLY ONE PAIR AVAILABLE

CUSTOM ORDERS WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM JANUARY 2025