These unique earrings feature little sterling silver Chinese Chops that dangle below genuine cultured freshwater pearls. The chop dangles are my own original design. The picture shows them with white pearls and non-slip Argentium sterling silver twist artisan earwires. I have also added an option for regular Argentium hook earwires or interchangeable sterling leverbacks. There is also an option to get dark silver pearls instead of white.
A "chop" is a signature stamp. You see them in red on Chinese writings and paintings. This particular chop comes from a set of nesting turtles that I found on the antique street in Shanghai. Each turtle has an antique chop design on the bottom. This is an ancient chop design, and was originally someone's signature.
I make the chop components out of fine silver metal clay. It is clay made out of real silver. When I fire it in the kiln, the temperatures are high enough that everything in the clay that is not metal burns away, leaving only the silver behind. The end result is .999 (or 99.9%) silver.
The pearls are genuine freshwater. I have these in white and also a dark silver. I would recommend the white, just because it gives more contrast. The dark silver will get kind of lost in all the other silver. I import my own pearls, and usually I pick them out myself. These particular pearls I had a friend of mine pick up before he came to the states for a visit. He did a good job! They are a little squashed, which is very common for freshwater pearls, but they are flawless with a very nice luster.
The ear wires (both the twist ones shown and the regular French hooks with ball) are made by me out of Argentium Silver, which is 93.5% silver (compared to 92.5% or .925 for regular sterling.) Other wires are at least .925 to .935 silver. All beads are sterling silver.
The model is wearing interchangeable lever-backs.
For more information on the materials and processes I use, including metal clay, pearls, and Argentium silver, please check the Policies section of my shop.
Important Info:
Length: approx. 1 7/8" (48 cm) from top of ear wire
Pearl size: approximately 5 x 7 mm
Ships in a gift box.
Shanghai Tai
Unique Artisan Jewelry
Handmade in the USA
Copyright 2022 Shanghai Tai LLC, all rights reserved
