{"product_id":"vestige-in-carnelian","title":"Vestige in Carnelian","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eCarnelian \u0026amp; Reticulated Sterling Silver Earrings\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome materials seem to remember the forces that shaped them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWarm faceted carnelian frames disks of sterling silver whose rippled, irregular surfaces were created by hand through the traditional metalsmithing technique of reticulation. Before reticulation, I depletion-gilded the sterling silver, repeatedly heating and cleaning the metal to remove copper oxides and create a fine-silver-rich surface suitable for developing the characteristic texture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe prepared silver was then carefully heated again until its surface began to shift and buckle, forming tiny ridges, valleys, and wrinkles that could be encouraged, but never precisely controlled or repeated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAbove and below, faceted carnelian glows in shades of ember, rust, and translucent orange-red. Light passes through the stones and catches their facets as the earrings move, creating a vivid contrast with the pale, weathered-looking silver between them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSuspended from sterling silver ear wires and measuring approximately three inches long, \u003cstrong\u003eVestige in Carnelian\u003c\/strong\u003e brings together two materials transformed in very different ways: stone shaped and polished to reveal its color, and silver deliberately taken to the edge of control to reveal its texture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBecause each silver disk was prepared and reticulated individually by hand, no two surfaces are exactly alike. Each disk is reticulated on \u003cstrong\u003eboth sides\u003c\/strong\u003e, allowing the texture to remain visible as the earrings turn and move when worn.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAchieving that texture on both surfaces requires particularly careful torch control. After one side has already been brought close enough to its melting point to develop the reticulated surface, the process must be repeated on the reverse without melting through the silver or destroying the texture already created.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach disk therefore carries its own record of heat, movement, and transformation, front and back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eA Note on Reticulation\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReticulation is one of those wonderful metalsmithing techniques in which complete control isn't really the goal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSterling silver is an alloy of silver and copper. To prepare these disks for reticulation, I first used a process called \u003cstrong\u003edepletion gilding\u003c\/strong\u003e, repeatedly heating and cleaning the sterling to remove copper oxides from the surface and leave behind a surface increasingly rich in fine silver.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnce prepared, the metal is heated very carefully again. Differences between the composition and melting behavior of the surface and the alloy beneath allow the metal to move, wrinkle, and buckle, creating the wonderfully craggy texture characteristic of reticulated silver.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe trick is getting close enough to make the silver move without simply melting the entire piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result can be influenced by the metalsmith, but never completely dictated. Every surface emerges a little differently, which is precisely what makes reticulation so fascinating.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDetails\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNatural faceted carnelian\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSterling silver gemstone settings and components\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSterling silver disks, depletion-gilded and individually reticulated by hand\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSilver disks reticulated on both sides\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSterling silver ear wires\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eApproximately 3 inches long\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHandcrafted in Colorado\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOne of a kind\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Larsen Jewelry","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67267741384749,"sku":"LJ-E-VES-CAR-001","price":148.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0633\/1862\/2253\/files\/1d15176c-f447-478e-a69f-cd9c009304cd.jpg?v=1786201284","url":"https:\/\/larsenjewelry.com\/products\/vestige-in-carnelian","provider":"Larsen Jewelry","version":"1.0","type":"link"}