Gemstone & sterling silver valley oak earrings
SKU:
$120.00
$120.00
per item
Pairs of earrings featuring sterling silver valley oak leaves, with one of the following three options;
- Natural beryl emeralds with green tourmaline
- Herkimer Diamonds, which are a type of double terminated, high grade quartz from Upstate New York
- Golden tourmaline
About Valley Oaks:
The stately Valley Oak (Quercus lobata) is North America’s largest oak, capable of attaining lifespans of up to 600 years old, and heights of 100 feet. Their wood has been found to be valuable for the creation of wine barrels, offering lower tannins, and greater oxygen transferring capabilities than red oaks. The first Europeans to encounter the Valley Oak were Spaniards, and they called it “Roble”, or “White Oak”. The wine growing region of California known as Paso Roble is named for it. Valley oaks need a continuous groundwater supply in order to grow, and are endemic to California.
About this piece:
Despite their impressive trunk sizes, valley oak leaves are small. The master copy for this piece was originally a real Valley Oak leaf, collected from a dead branch. It was transformed into pure silver using a contemporary Japanese method for creating handmade silver leaves, and then replicated via traditional, small-batch lost wax casting, a technique which dates back to the Bronze Age.
To learn more about how these artisan pieces are created, please visit the About section!
Recycled Metals:
All original silver master copies, and subsequent lost wax copies are created using highly purified recycled metals, in the US, either by myself or my casting partner. Valley Oak leaves are available in sterling silver, ancient bronze, and pure copper.
Exact Specs:
Focals - Sterling silver - lost wax cast
Wire: Sterling silver
Earwire: 26g Fine Silver (hypoallergenic)
Gemstone(s): Undyed, oiled beryl emeralds, natural polished green tourmaline.