Due to the handmade nature and the clay base, the surface will not always be perfectly smooth; this gives them a rustic charm.

So the good news is that these are durable and not prone to flaking or wearing like the typical silver and gold plated beads so, however sterling silver ones will need a good rubbing with a polishing cloth to remove tarnish!

They feature prominently in my Goddess range.

Common allergens
Base metal with nickel in it (or silver/gold plated where worn though) not adhering to EU nickel regulations
Tarnish and dirt – can be on any metal including silver and gold

Less common
18ct white gold – the nickel alloy type of white gold -  ask which type of white gold it is
Stainless steel – alloy can occasionally leach nickel so not quite as hypo-allergenic as described but usually OK

Pretty rare (certainly if EU produced)
Sterling and argentium silver – non-EU alloys may contain nickel
9 ct gold – often it’s tarnish – non-EU alloys may contain nickel
14 ct goldfill – quite rare – if you’re OK with your gold earrings then this would be fine.
18ct and 22ct gold – rare
Vermeil – thick gold plating over sterling silver – see sterling silver
Fine silver – is 99% pure silver – no nickel
Base metal- EU regulated alloys may contain nickel at extremely low proportions but bound in tightly so not leach out
Copper – not normally contains nickel but can react to the tarnish
Brass –  normally contains copper – non-EU alloys may contain nickel.
Surgical grade stainless steel – should be better than non-surgical grade

Extremely safe
Titanium family of metals – highly inert and safe enough to be used in body parts

'Silver' hypo-allergenic earhooks

Tips
Clean your jewellery and remove tarnish especially from earring posts and hooks.
Buy from reputable dealers preferably in the EU and ask about it. EU regulations are the tightest for allowing only a very small amount of nickel and it has to be tightly bound.
Use clear nail vanish to coat the parts which touch the skin, although this needs repeating.
Consider using the hooks extreme hypo-allergenic for earrings – and for swopping your favourite beaded earrings to these hooks – just ask!

And working on some other designs too at the moment – as all my Goddess range are super flexible, they mix and match together so well.

You can also commission the Athena necklace in all 24 ct fused gold beads if you prefer.

Contact me if you want any adaptions or bespoke options.

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Wikipedia says a diffusion line is a lesser priced line; and so expect necklaces in this line to retail from around £20.  And matching earrings or bracelet can be commissioned.

This pretty necklace, Clair, is made of smooth amazonite gemstones flanked by raw golden pyrite – with toning green vintage beads and a hot splash of pink.  One of my favourite colour combinations is green and pink!

Come to think of it, got some blue gemstones which might look nice with peachy beads or some purple with hot pink beads …hmmm

My preferred clasps are hook, lobster and toggle, but others can be obtained including multiple strand clasps.  Most clasp types can also be obtained in 14ct goldfill and/or vermeil, and the lobster/spring ring can be obtained in 9ct yellow gold.

Please note that all clasps are suitable for necklaces. For bracelets I do not recommend hook or magnetic clasps.

Magnetic clasps are unsuitable for heavy stones, or if someone has a pacemaker. Extender chains can only be used with hook, lobster and bolt clasps.

typical Hook clasp - can take extender

Lobster or trigger clasp - can take extender

Bolt or Spring ring - can take extender

Toggle clasp

Magnetic clasp

Box or Slide - be any shape i.e. sphere

Various examples of clasps

Hand-wiring gems is tricky, take your attention off what you’re doing for just a moment and the wire goes messy and can’t be unbent.  When I had finished laying out the stones it seemed like it had a slightly old fashioned romantic feel to it.  So it was named Beloved.  It would also make fabulous wedding jewellery for anyone who wants something different to normal bridal jewellery which can also be worn afterwards.

I haven’t yet made matching earrings but they would be the amethyst (the same sized beads as the two opposing ones), topped with a pearl.

So when I stumbled on the concept, I thought ah.. this is the jewellery I love to make, not cripplingly expensive but fabulous value for money.

Alice - pearl and gemstones on sterling silver

Bridge jewellery also borrows from fine and costume jewellery too, often mixing things together in new and novel ways.

Aquamarine, pearls with vermeil and goldfill

Bridge jewellery makes use of silver, 14ct gold fill, gold vermeil, large gemstones as well as micro-faceted bead gemstones which can be semi-precious or precious gems i.e. ruby or sapphires etc, stunning freshwater pearls and other quality ingredients; this is more affordable luxury.

Modern freshwater keishi pearls

Isn’t it nice to have this ‘middle ground’?  For far too long all one could get was two main types.

If you are particularly petite or ‘non-petite’, then you need jewellery which doesn’t swamp you, or is too tiny and tight fitting.

When working with ladies of a larger size, I have found a 3- 6 inch difference exists with necklaces!   That is staggering.  I generally make standard stock at 17 plus 2 inches to fit size roughly 10-16 sizes (say), with extra 3 inches required for size 18-20.  A size 24 necklace required an extra 6 inches, but if you are in doubt, measure yourself and talk to me before ordering.

Necklaces like ‘Gio’ and Goddess collection can be altered at no extra cost. Extra pearls and gemstones and chain will obviously cost a bit more.

Gio - can be altered for free

Athena - can be altered for free

So wherever I can, I prefer to use argentium silver, a sterling silver equivalent which is low tarnish silver.  There’s a tiny amount of germanium in the alloy which reduces tarnishing. The tarnish rate is either zero or very slow, many times slower than sterling silver!

These handwrapped earrings have been made with argentium wire and round beads – anywhere where the pearl touches the silver I use argentium.

Triplet pearl earrings

My jewellery currently made with argentium is shown in ‘Serena’, ‘City Slicker’ and also ‘Olivia’ can be made with this low tarnish silver added between the pearls.   Any type and colour of pearls can have argentium silver beads instead of sterling silver.  And if you keep your silver in grip seal bags then you also cut down your work in keeping your silver tarnish free.

Argentium silver is low tarnish sterling silver – invented in the UK in Middlesex University, another British invention!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argentium_sterling_silver

About 15% of women (and probably men too!) have an allergy to nickel in jewellery usually showing as a red itchy rash.   The nickel in base metal jewellery alloys is the main culprit, but did you know it is also found in white gold and stainless steel?  Stainless steel is often sold as ‘hypo-allergenic’ but the nickel can leak out of the alloy!

A few people are also sensitive to copper and find sterling silver difficult or they even can’t wear 9ct gold as the alloy has something in it which irritates.

This is how they look on some of my current range of earrings and they come in various colours.  You can click on the photo for an enlargement.

If you would like any earrings made with these hooks just let me know – there’s no point in suffering unnecessarily.

Silver -  for silver coloured metals, sterling silver and white gold

Yellow/gold

Black – for oxidised black silver jewellery and gunmetal – or just as a change from bright silver!

and they also come in ‘bronze’ – to match bronze coloured jewellery.