Whenever a piece of jewelry does not sell after a few months, I take a look at it to see if anything needs to be changed in the photos, descriptions, keywords, price, or with the item itself. In some cases, I decide the item needs a complete makeover.
Before
These Egyptian earrings were one of the first pairs of earrings I posted in my Etsy shop. They're the kind of easy earring that lots of people make, using a cute charm and a simple beaded wire link. The photo is quite dark, so if I had been happy with this design, I'd probably simply retake the photo. Sometimes a new photo can make a huge difference.
After
To create the new Egyptian earrings, I embossed a zigzag line on the Vintaj brass circle. I thought this line would be representative of the pyramids, but when I started doing some research I found that this line is known as a chevron pattern. It appears that this pattern shows up in hieroglyphics. I still need to do some more research on chevrons, preferably in a book, since Google keeps wanting to tell me about the Chevron Oil Company!
Next, I painted the lower half of the circle with Guilder's Paste. The name of that color is Inca Gold, which amuses me. Who says the Incas and Egyptians can't coexist at the same time?
I really liked the color of the original Czech glass I used, but it's the kind of dark glass that's best appreciated in person, as it's maddeningly difficult to photograph. To find a more historically significant color, I read a bit about the Colors of Ancient Egypt. I was surprised that purple was not listed. Somehow I associated purple with Egypt, but I think I was just confused by memories of Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra. Eventually I decided to use a bright yellow, a color, which along with gold, could represent perfection.
To complete the earrings, I used a stack of spacers. The ear wires are the same hypoallergenic (niobium) ear wires that I used in the original design.
I'm pleased with how these new Egyptian Earrings turned out. Not only are they visually more striking, but I love that they have more thought and history behind them. Have you ever remade a piece of jewelry? What was your redesign process like?