The inspiration:
The wondrous luck of finding tiny blooms in the most unlikely places.

The materials:
Tiny, sparkling magenta rubies, tube-set on delicate stems, sprout from geometric, sand-cast sterling silver leaves on custom sterling earwires.

The history:
The most valuable member of the corundum family, rubies have reigned for thousands of years. While pure corundum is a colourless mineral, its transformation to either sapphire or ruby relies on the trace minerals present in its formation. Chromium creates rubies, from orangey to rose-wine to “pigeon’s blood” red, while iron and titanium create blue sapphires.
Much like sapphires, rubies have a deep, devoted history as a gemstone. Their hardness is second only to diamonds (they measure a 9 on the Mohs scale) and their strength and colour made rubies a long-held symbol of love and life force. To warriors and royalty, rubies represented power and vitality and wearing them was thought to bestow health, wisdom and wealth. They are now the beloved birthstone of July babies, and represent long-lasting love as a traditional gift for 15th and 40th anniversaries.

The process:
I sculpted these unique, unusual leaf shapes from wood and then sand-cast them in sterling silver that I recycled myself. They have been finished with a deep patina to enhance their cast texture and to contrast the bright stone and polished wire. The 3mm, faceted rubies are tube-set with open backs to allow the light to sparkle through. A pair of clear silicone stoppers is included to keep them securely on your ears. These earrings have been polished to a high shine.

The details:
Earring length: 53 mm
Earring width: 8 mm at the widest point
Stone: magenta pink ruby, 3 mm faceted
Stone source: NikMak Gemstones, Montréal, Québec

My promise:
All of my jewelry is made entirely by me, by hand, in my little home studio and will be shipped to you as shown, beautifully packaged and ready for gift-giving to someone special (like yourself!) I am a life-long artist and designer, and I take great care and pride in creating one of a kind jewels that evolve from my own design, emotion and inspiration, rather than trend, imitation or artifice. It means the world to me that you've witnessed my work - thank you for being here, and for shopping and supporting handmade!