“I love the alluring and mysterious sparkle of black diamonds. Because of their hard and opaque nature, they have a mirrored, metallic surface unlike any other gem. When clustered together they are dynamic, captivating, and a perfect metaphor for the Wings Collection.

The matte finish sterling silver and black rhodium detail add depth and character to the earrings.”

-Karlin

Design

The wings have contrasting feather types - the black diamonds represent the ‘covert’ feathers and the satin silver represents the ‘primary’ feathers. Rhodium is used to add definition to the individual feather contours.

The sweeping shape of the wings are design to follow and highlight the contour of the ear lobes.

Metalwork

The ‘lost wax casting process’ was used to produce the 20mm silver earrings - the original wax carvings were cast into a silver, and hand finished to create ‘masters’. These masters were used to create moulds from which wax versions are made, and the waxes are cast into sterling silver (millesimal fineness of 925). Each casting is then rough filed and a silver earpost (the part that goes through the earlobe) is soldered on with a gas blowtorch before being smooth filed and emeried. The black diamonds are then set (see below) before the top feathers around the settings are given a lustrous polish and the feathers below are satin finished with a matting wheel. The earrings are sent to a specialist metal plating company in Hatton Garden, London, where rhodium plating is applied between the individual feathers.

Black diamonds

Each earring features fourteen pavé set round brilliant cut carbonado black diamonds graduated from 1mm to 1.4mm in diameter. The stones are sourced from a trusted Hatton Garden based gem dealer, and each is examined for quality and consistency before being set under a microscope. The pavé (pronounced “pa-vay”) setting technique involves drilling a precise seat for each diamond with a ball burr to allow the stone to nestle in just below the metal surface. A sharp graver tool is then used to cut tiny slivers of metal which curl over the diamond to form miniature claws. The claws are then rounded and flattened into spheres with a beading tool, leaving a bright polished surfaced on each sphere which enhances and complements the sparkle of the diamonds.

Finishing touches

The completed earrings are sent to the Edinburgh Assay Office for Hallmarking before returning to Shetland to be given a final finish and polish.

The earrings are presented in a high quality satin textured and chamois lined stud earring box accompanied by a postcard featuring the design story of the Wings Collection.

More Black Diamond Mootie Wing pieces