Primitive Patinas

Blue Peacock Patina Copper Earrings

Over the past couple of years, I have taken a break occasionally to create rustic hammered copper pieces. I play with joining different shapes and textures, using different weights of copper sheet, and of course there are the patinas. My goal is to develop my own style of applying colored patinas that is unique and appealing, so I play a lot. In the top pair of earrings, I use blue and green patinas over a darkening patina for a peacock effect. The colored patinas were purchased from Shannon German of Missficklemedia, who also sells tutorials on the subject.

Ruddy Red Patina Copper Earrings

On this pair of hinged copper earrings, I have combined red and yellow patinas over a darkening layer. The colored patinas go on one over another while they are still wet, so that the colors will run together a little. After the colors are dry, I applied a thin layer of Permalac to seal them.

Working with metal can be a welcome change from my usual direction with earrings. I like to mix it up, and I think it's important to maintain variety in my jewelry. Each pair of earrings should all be easily identifiable as mine, but I want each design to have its own character as well.

Gloria Ewing

Chrysalis Tribal Jewelry
Chrysalis Too on Etsy

Frida Earrings

Frida Earrings

In these colorful primitive copper earrings, I use a verdigris patina and then added a blue patina around the border. The red jasper makes a wonderful contrast to the cool colors.

It was only a matter of time before I made a pair of earrings in honor of Frida Kahlo. Frida surrounded herself with vivid colors, animals, and a lush garden full of birds that inspired her, and later her students. Her imagination was fertile with images that were authentic and primitive as they made their way to her canvasses in paint. To me, those images are exhilarating, haunting and unforgettable. More about Frida.

 Gloria Ewing on Etsy and Artfire.