Grapevine Earrings--Inside & Out

I was hoping to include two pairs of earrings in this posting, both pairs showing off the beads from Gayle's "Kit and Caboodle Shop" destash collection, but while the spirit was willing, the eyes were weak.   


After working on jewelry all day yesterday, working at the computer at my "other job" all evening, my dry eyes were so blurry, I could barely see!   So, I limited myself to what was finished last night and what was finished was one pair of earrings.  I photographed them indoors last night and again outside today, so you have some comparison shots of them in different lighting.  (When there are 2, indoors is to the left.)

I think of them as my "grape vine" earrings. 

The bead caps and topaz green freshwater pearls are from "Kit and Caboodle."  The purple gemstones I already had.  Above the purple stones (which are a deeper color than they appear here), are green-ish crystals and  hanging alongside the pearls are small lime-green glass crystal dangles too.

When Beadbug recommended putting a patina finish on the bright copper wire in the last post, I immediately thought of these earrings, which were already in progress. I've already mixed oxidized brass bead caps with bright copper wire in this piece.  I think that toning down the copper with patina would be an improvement.  For anyone interested, I did some searching on this process and found there are several methods.  These same approaches are mentioned on various websites, but this one seems straightforward:

"How to Antique Copper" from the Jem Library.com

I'm just left wondering about timing.  Is now the right time in the process of making the piece to oxidize the copper?   Should it have been done earlier?  Can I do this without damaging the pearls?

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      Critique Time!   

• Please tell me what you think.   How could I improve on these earrings?   

• Did you prefer the indoor or outdoor photography?  Why?  Any tips on how to make either better?

Thanks and more thanks!  --Sharyl

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A special warm welcome to a follower who recently joined us!  You will recognize her name because she's been mentioned on these pages, contributed,  and her work has been shown here many times!   She is TracyBell, "Beadbug," from "Copper, Glass and Recycled Trash" fame!  She's the maker of the "Funky Rainbow Ribbon Beads" I keep referring to, and a doer of good deeds!  Welcome, Tracy, and thanks so much for participating!