What are Guardian Ear Fittings?
Guardian ear fittings are ideal if you are looking for secure and easy to use earring findings for your jewellery designs. Available in 2 sizes and 5 different alloys, Guardian ear fittings feature a double grooved post for a positive lock, and ear backs that are removed by applying firm pressure to the side triggers – making them perfect for valuable earrings and for those who struggle with traditional scroll backs.
To give you even more choice when creating your earring designs, 2 different styles of Guardian ear fittings are available at Cooksongold:
- Standard – fluted edge triggers
- Comfort – smooth, curved triggers with a rounded edge
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How can you use Guardian Ear Fittings?
Take a look at the below jewellery making tutorial by Janet Royle to discover how you can use these earring findings in 2 different designs, made from sterling silver and 9ct yellow gold, and if you fancy trying it out for yourself you can also download this project to use in your own workshop here.
Guardian Ear Fittings Project by Janet Royle
Level of skill: intermediate
You will need:
- 9ct yellow gold round blanks 13mm x 2 (YAA 023)
- Sterling silver round blanks 10mm x 2 (YSA 515)
- 9ct yellow gold Guardian comfort ear fitting x 2 (NBR 402)
- Sterling silver Guardian comfort ear fitting x 2 (NVR 402)
- Abrasive paper, 600 grit (975 060)
- Flexible abrasive boards (975 055)
- ImpressArt metal stamping hammer (999 IA98)
- ImpressArt dandelion design stamp (999 IA16)
- Ball pein hammer (997 V009)
- Steel bench block (999 791)
- Doming block and punches (999 775A)
- Silver solder paste, hard (PAT 076)
- 9ct yellow gold solder paste, medium (PAD 040)
- Starter soldering kit (999 096Q)
- Third hand base (999 AAA2)
- Maun parallel pliers (999 644)
- Optional: Barrel polisher (999 6025)
How to make earrings using Guardian ear fittings
1. First prepare the gold and silver blanks by sanding each side to remove surface scratches. Place your abrasive paper flat on your bench and use your fingertip to rub the blank over it, then rub over the finer grades of the flexible abrasive boards to obtain a smooth finish.
2. To make the 9ct gold earrings with a hammered texture, place the prepared blanks on a steel block and hammer all over with the round end of ball pein hammer.
3. After texturing, use a doming block and punch set to form the blanks into domes (you may need to anneal the blank first to soften it before forming), placing the hammered side face down in the block.
4. After forming both blanks into equal sized domes, use the abrasive boards to smooth the edges.
5. Solder the Guardian ear pin in the centre of the back of the dome, using the gold solder paste. Use a 3rd hand to hold the pin in place.
6. Pickle and rinse the earrings.
7. For the sterling silver earrings, use the ImpressArt design stamp and hammer to create a random design all over the blanks.
8. Once textured, form the blanks into domes using the doming block and punches. This time the patterned size needs to face up when it is placed in the block.
9. Smooth off the top edge of the dome, by rubbing it over sandpaper to give a flat edge. Use the abrasive boards to smooth round the edges.
10. Solder the pin onto the back of the dome with the silver solder paste, using the 3rd hand to hold the pin in place. Be careful not to put too much pressure on the dome or it will collapse when it is heated.
11.Pickle and rinse the earrings. Twist the ear pins using parallel Maun pliers to strengthen (work harden) the pin, and also to check your solder join, by holding the pin firmly in the pliers and twist gently about a quarter of a turn.
12. Once you are happy with the pin fitting and the dome edges are all smooth, polish the earrings, ideally in a barrel polisher.
13. Once polished, fit on the Guardian fitting earring backs by gently squeezing the 2 edges together and sliding onto each ear post.
Feeling inspired by this jewellery making project? Want to use Guardian ear fittings in your own pieces? Explore Cooksongold’s full range here and find the right ones to suit your upcoming handmade earring designs.
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