Playing with Copper Wire

One of the best features of copper wire is that it is soft and malleable, making it so easy to work with.  And it also work hardens very easily with some strategic hammering.  I took out some 16ga copper wire and my Wig-Jig the other day and came up with these 2 designs that I really like.  There are several  other designs in my sketch book that proved too difficult to form (so much easier with a pencil and eraser than with actual wire!) and those are on hold for a while.

What's hard to see in these photos is that I oxidized the 16ga copper and then used copper colored craft wire for the wraps.  That wire is tarnish resistant, so there is a great amount of contrast between the earring framework and the wraps.

I used copper colored Niobium earwires in keeping with the color theme.  Niobium is a hypo allergenic metal and makes for really strong earwires.