Paper and Resin Earrings - Petals to the Metal Collection

There's no question about it... paper jewelry always attracts attention. Why? Because it's unexpected! Most people would never consider paper a viable material to make fine jewelry... I'm so glad today's featured artist does just that!

Diana of Diana Ferguson Jewelry creates very special earrings, necklaces, and bracelets that range from fun and funky to elegant and sophisticated. Her New Petals to the Metal and Classic Petals to the Metal collections of dangle earrings have a definitive paper aspect, even though they are as durable and long-lasting as jewelry made completely of traditional metals.

Diana's petal-making process is painstaking... she creates a digital pattern or collage, prints it on cotton rag watercolor paper, cuts petal shapes, applies glossy enamel, and assembles them with anodized aluminum petals and findings to create intricate clusters. Each step of the process is performed entirely in-studio by Diana, resulting in original statement pieces.

Last winter Diana shared her Petals to the Metal journey via a Facebook event. I learned that it was the 2008 recession that led her to work with paper. Until then Diana had focused on hand-woven chain in precious metals, however, material prices went through the roof so she looked at alternative metals and came across reactive aluminum, niobium, and titanium. Once anodized, they are a showcase of color - from red to mahogany to turquoise, gunmetal, and beyond. Diana was hooked and began creating hand-woven chain with these metals as an alternative to silver and gold.

"About six months after that, I was watching a PBS documentary called Between the Folds. It was about origami; not just cranes and the like, but huge sculptural projects. (A great program, worth watching if you ever come across it.) Well, that got me interested in working with paper. First I tried origami, which wasn't really for me, and moved on to more sculptural techniques. 

 

It wasn't long before one thing led to another and I was thinking, how can I pattern this paper to make durable, interesting jewelry? Several years of experimentation later, I hit upon the more or less final iteration of Petals to the Metal, combining both the reactive metals and sculpted, glazed paper. It's a very happy marriage. I haven't looked back since!"

If you prefer a simpler look, Diana creates earrings that are composed of only anodized petals. How pretty is this rose pink pair!

Now about the North American giveaway [it has ended]: The winner will receive a 2-inch pair of Petals to the Metal earrings ($88.00 value) in the winner’s choice of colorway/pattern. She or he will select a pair from the New Petals to the Metal or the Classic Petals to the Metal collection.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below. Note that Blogger does not allow me to see the email address you type into the form with your name, so you will need to include an email address within your comment. If you are concerned about spam, type it this way: janedoe at gmail dot com.

This giveaway is also underway on Instagram. Enter at one or both places by the end of Saturday, November 4, 2017. The winner will be announced on this post and on the Instagram giveaway photo as soon as she or he has been notified. Good luck!

 
Diana Ferguson Jewelry is on Instagram and Facebook.

Congratulations to the winner, makkokaze!

This post is sponsored by Diana Ferguson Jewelry.