Tears of Bitter Price

Summed up in two phrases – it seemed like a good idea and how hard can it be.

Introducing Kuchi buttons. Cute and just the right size for earrings.

Good Idea?

Come in 2 flavours.

Little flat ones an easy target.

 Nip the little loops off the back, bung in a coupla holes, hang stuff and there ya go, and if the junk from the nipped off loop bothers you, can all be solved with a disc of some metal or such.Done n Dusted!

Now the ones I really liked are the high domed variety.

Nice central detailing on the right hand one and the other, that resemble pert young mammary glands.

(Now I've said that can’t look at them without imagining a mature aged lady rocking the buxom bosoms on her lobes - oh wait, that'll be me)

A quick look on the internet revealed these kuchi buttons were uncommon in earrings.

Bewdy an obviously unexploited niche, but let me tell you why.

Wanted a really cool and innovative method of attaching the buttons to the earwires and other elements. Much sketching, contorting of wire, scrabbling through various boxes for inspiration/easy solutions, in dispersed with wandering around, thinking, coffee, more thinking, more coffee, pee stops. Woah squirrel brain!
Finally in desperation tried jump rings. 
Had I done that first woulda saved half a day. Then began working the second earring and ran straight into the Universal Truth of Kuchi Buttons – Variation. And these little buggers have variation in spades!

The little loops on the back are bigger, smaller, offset, squished, twisted, flattened. No two alike.

Jump ring again – how hard can it be?
Then I began making jump rings just the right size so that all the elements were more or less equal.

It is now the end of the day and finally nailed them and I consider the name most appropriate, Tears of Bitter Price

OH
In addition, I can offer you a huge range of graduated sets of hand made jump rings measured in increments of gnat knees.

Suffer for your Art

It all started out hunky-dory.

I bought a rhinestone pendant waaaaay back in the 60's and wore it to death. Eventually the chain broke and the dangles fell off and I put it somewhere safe. Came back to haunt me when I opened another box from the shed.

Corrade - to gather from various sources
Luuurve the colours.
Tempted to keep this another 40 years

Another languisher

Alien Seed
been rattling around in one of the I dunno and mehhhhh trays. Whatever I put with them didn't work so went simple. Actually like the rusty crusty enamel Mary Ann back better than the Queen Ann front.

Then the horrible haunter straight from the crypt. Nooooooooooooo!!!

The more I looked at it the more I disliked it, no I hated it! 
Blechhhhh nothing works! Whatever was I thinking??

It all went onto the slippery slope from here.
Dis-saaemble!!
Decided to replace silky beaded abomination with hand made chain. 
After many stops and starts and probably half a roll of wire later had these soldered figure 8 links.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, needing more space, I picked up a pile of stuff, including one of those tape dispenser guns, you know the ones, with the wicked row of serrated teeth. 
Gouged said serrated teeth across first knuckle of my left index finger. Was OK to begin, then the copious leaking began. 5 Band Aids and a towel later and it had slowed to oozing drops. With the life threatening haemorrhage under control I plowed on.
During my enthusiasm for my new found soldering skills I neglected the first law of Torch. Know exactly where the flame is pointing. Result - a burn to go with the finger. Then in making the bail on which to fasten my newly made chain, got careless with the soldering iron and inflicted not one but two burns. (I blamed my huge bandaged finger for being in the way.)
*Sigh*
However, full speed ahead and damn the hot patches.

Spell of Binding
Much better now, with the handmade chain. 
More gritty and edgy don't ya think?

Then my brain started hurting from all the lateral thinking, and in sympathy with my suffering so, the masochist I am, started something else.

Dove into my miniscule stash and ferreted out 2 druzy slices.
Earrings in a flash I thought, however the holes were side to side, not front to back.
Then my brain really started hurting from all the problem solving and such. 
After about 4 do's, 4 undo's and 5 redos was getting close, when this interrupted.

 Helped the 2 delivery drivers wrangle the 400kg tank off the truck, heaved it upright and crow barred it on logs into place. Phew.

Going back nursing my wounds, the odd complaining muscle and sunburn to boot, I finally got the earrings done.
Meet - Kiss of Salt on My Skin.

Must have been the delirium from all the pain and suffering, because I decided that I was not done with heat and hammers just yet.

Made some earrings ages ago that flew out of my shop so decided to revisit the technique.

This is my secret crusty irridescent finish.
Clearly I was deranged from the trauma, pain, tank wrangling and probable heat stroke, because I came up with this. In fact I made 2!
Huge great earring discs!

Pretty unhinged even for me. 
Will think about them.
Another remake a little more restrained and the crusty iridescence came out kinda bubbly instead of crusty.

 But that's OK. 
All came out hunky-dory in the end.