• Gold vermeil heart studs, showing the back with the pin and butterfly of one. Also shows the curve of the piece. Recycled sterling silver, handmade by the process of anticlastic raising.
  • Silver heart studs, showing the hammered texture and the pins and butterflies.
  • Silver heart stud in wear on live model
  • Gold vermeil heart studs, showing the pins and butterflies. Also shows the curve of the piece.
  • Silver heart studs, showing the studs close together and upside down. Displays the curve of the studs.
  • The gold vermeil studs, showing the attachment of the pins at the back
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Anne V Massey

Heart Studs

Heart Studs

£78.00 GBP
£78.00 GBP
Sale Sold out
Tax included.
Colour

A pair of quirky heart-shaped studs hammered by hand from recycled Sterling ecosilver. These simple, understated earrings feature an unusual curved design which tucks below the earlobe. Available plated with gold or in plain silver, these stylised hearts would make a delightful present for Valentine's, Mother's Day, an anniversary or any occasion.

  • Available in two colours, plain silver or luxurious 24ct gold vermeil.
  • Fastened at the back with a Sterling silver butterfly.
  • Each stud measures about 1cm x 1.5cm.
  • Light and comfortable to wear.
  • Handmade in my Hove workshop.
  • Each pair is unique due to the hand-making process.
  • An ideal gift for Christmas, a birthday or to say "thank you".
  • For international customers there is a minimum order of £100.
  • "The earrings arrived today and I LOVE them." - Jan

    Whether you prefer rich gold vermeil or elegant silver, these graceful earrings can be worn for any occasion and in any context, formal or informal. Wear them for a big night out, or just to make yourself feel a little more special. They would make a lovely and thoughtful gift for your bridesmaids to wear on the big day, and to thank them. The curve, so characteristic of anticlastic raising, gently continues underneath the earlobe while the satin-matte texture gives a rich soft lustre.

    Whether you choose gold vermeil or silver, the studs can be kept tarnish-free by means of this simple method.

    Free gift wrapping can be selected at the checkout.

    Postage is free. Your order will be posted at no extra charge by Royal Mail Special Delivery (within the UK only). I am happy to ship outside the UK - I will pay the postage but the buyer will be responsible for any fees, duties or taxes which may be levied for delivery.  I will send you the tracking number for the parcel. I am currently not posting to countries in the EU due to the complexity of the new rules. I aim to post within 5 days when the item is in stock; pieces made to order may take 2-4 weeks. 

    Please email me at info@annevmassey.com if there's anything further you would like to know.

    Care information

    Pieces which are gold plated all over (gold vermeil) may need cleaning from time to time; although gold does not tarnish, the silver underneath may. All my work is best cleaned by methods which do not involve rubbing, which causes the jewellery to lose its semi-matte finish and gradually makes it become shiny. My favourite involves using readily available household items - hot water and bicarbonate of soda with aluminium foil in a heatproof glass or ceramic bowl. Even better, it's sustainable! You can re-use old foil - repeatedly! - but it needs to be clean.  You can clean more than one piece of jewellery at a time, but as this is an electrochemical process each piece needs to be in contact with the foil. It doesn't matter which way up the foil is. The hotter the water, the faster the reaction goes. Enough bicarb should be used to cover each piece. This won’t damage the gold plating on wholly- or part-plated pieces, but hot water should not be used on pieces which incorporate stones; some stones can be damaged or even destroyed by thermal shock. There are many versions of this technique available on the internet, and also many sites which have information about stones and their vulnerability/resistance to thermal shock.       

    The first two images show a pendant before and after cleaning by this method.                                  Pendant before cleaning Pendant after cleaning with aluminium foil, bicarb and boiling water 

    The next series of images shows a more heavily tarnished brooch. The images are taken at 20 minute intervals. As you can see, the brooch never becomes as clean and bright as the example above.

                                                                    

    This technique works best if the piece is not too heavily tarnished.

    Storing your jewellery properly can help retard or prevent tarnishing. Direct sunlight, humidity, chlorine and hairspray all accelerate tarnishing. Storing the jewellery in a box in a dry room (not the bathroom, for example) will help keep it looking bright and fresh. The jewellery should not be worn to a swimming pool, and hairspray should be applied before putting jewellery on. Salt (including from perspiration) can also react with silver, so it should not be worn for swimming in the sea.

    If you don’t mind losing the surface “bloom”, you can use a commercially available cleaner such as Goddard’s foaming paste, or even toothpaste, with a soft toothbrush.

    Much of this information is taken from Masamitsu Inaba's article Tarnishing of Silver: A Short Review in the Victoria and Albert Museum's Conservation Journal, January 1996 Issue 18. Many thanks.

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