Thursday, October 3, 2013

Introducing: Solaria! - Prong Set Faceted Gemstones on Niobium Post Earrings by Pretty Sensitive Ears

I am so pleased to announce that we have introduced a new line of Niobium post earrings in our Pretty Sensitive Ears' Etsy Shop called Solaria featuring prong set faceted gemstones on 100% hypoallergenic, nickel free Niobium post earrings!  This is an exciting new offering in the world of Niobium earrings for sensitive ears!

The faceted gemstones (ranging in size, type, color and cut) are mounted in hypoallergenic rhodium plated prong settings on nickel-free Niobium posts for sensitive ears. These post earrings come with hypoallergenic Titanium ear nut earring backs.

Simple and exquisitely stunning, these facet cut mounted stones offer up sparkle and shine as they sit elegantly in their prong settings. Rhodium plating makes the prong settings safe for sensitive ears. Rhodium is a white metal member of the same family of metals as Platinum, and is kind to your skin. The ear post portion of these beautiful earrings is made of non-reacting, nickel free, hypoallergenic Niobium metal. Niobium is ultra comfortable and can feel like you are not wearing earrings at all. This pair of earrings comes with Titanium metal earring backs that will clutch on to the Niobium posts keeping the posts safely in place. Titanium is a member of the same family of metals as Niobium and therefore shares its amazing non-reactive, hypoallergenic characteristics. Metal backs on these Niobium posts are not a problem and will not scratch away the hypoallergenic nature of these posts as would occur with a plated post.

These post earrings are lovely for those preferring more practical earrings without sacrificing beauty. These styles are timeless and classic and can be dressed up or down.  Several of the offered stones are birthstones as well.

Our larger Solaria collection of faceted gemstone Niobium post earrings for sensitive ears will continue to grow, with new gemstone sizes, styles, cuts, and colors continuing to be available. You can see our initial offerings (including Cubic Zirconia, Pink Cubic Zirconia, Amethyst, Garnet, and Peridot) below here or by visiting the Solaria section of our Pretty Sensitive Ears' Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/prettysensitive?section_id=14281472.

You can also visit our shop's home at http://www.etsy.com/shop/prettysensitive to see other styles of hypoallergenic earrings for your sensitive ears.

Thank you!

8 mm faceted Cubic Zirconia on Niobium posts by Pretty Sensitive Ears

4 mm faceted Amethyst on Niobium post earrings by Pretty Sensitive Ears

4 mm facet cut Garnet gemstones on Niobium studs by Pretty Sensitive Ears

4 mm Pink Cubic Zirconia gemstones on Niobium stud earrings by Pretty Sensitive Ears

4 mm faceted Peridot gemstone on nickel free Niobium post earrings by Pretty Sensitive Ears

4 mm Cubic Zirconias on Niobium post earrings by Pretty Sensitive Ears





Please Note: These earrings are not intended for children age 12 and under.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

How to Wear Pretty Sensitive Ears' Niobium Relief Hoops

Pretty Sensitive Ears' hypoallergenic Niobium Relief Hoops are completely nickel free and very comfortable.  These handmade Niobium hoops are simple, small, and light weight. They are made in Niobium's natural grey color. The standard size available for these hoops is approximately 0.5 inch (approximately 12.5 mm) in diameter.

Our Relief Hoops are so comfortable you will forget you are wearing earrings at all. They are great for new piercings, for established piercings that have become irritated, or for alleviating piercings between wearing heavy or non-hypoallergenic earrings.

The earrings flex to allow the post end to slide into the catch at the back of the ear. They can be worn while sleeping. Because there is no use of adhesive on these simple niobium earrings, they can also be kept in the piercing while doing sea-salt water soaks for healing. They can also be worn while swimming or bathing.

These are an amazing solution for sensitive ear irritation and healing.

Being handmade, they may not be perfectly round or perfectly identical to each other. We do try to get them as close as possible though. Also, because they are handmade they can be made in bigger or smaller diameters. If interested in a different size, please message me and we can arrange a custom pair: http://www.etsy.com/convo_new.php?to_username=prettysensitive


To wear our Niobium Relief Hoops, follow along with our photographic step by step instructions here (click on the photos to see a bigger image):

1. Hold the Relief Hoop earrings between your thumb and forefinger on each hand.

Step 1 - hold Relief Hoops


2. Push the earring wires in each hand closer together by moving your hands toward each other (moving the ear post end of the Relief Hoop toward the opening of the catch end of the hoop). 


Step 2 - opening Relief Hoops

3. Slip the ear post end of the Relief Hoop around the open end of the catch so the hoop is open.


Step 3 - opening Relief Hoops
 
4.  Still holding on to each end of the Relief Hoop with a separate hand, gently bend the hoop open wider by moving the ear post end and the catch ends apart in opposite directions.  Notice that you are not pulling the hoop apart into a "U" shape but gently bending the hoop open sideways.

Step 4 - bending open Relief Hoops


Step 4 - opened Relief Hoops

5. Now it is time to insert the ear post end of the Relief Hoop into your ear lobe piercing.  I prefer to orient the ear post end of the hoop on top while holding it with the opposite hand from the ear I am working on.  Orient the angled ear post end so that it begins to go through the piercing straight and continue to feed it through the piercing.


Step 5 - putting on Relief Hoops


Step 5 - Relief Hoops in ear piercing

6. The easiest way to close the Relief Hoops is to continue to feed the Relief Hoop through your piercing until the catch end is at the front of your ear lobe.  You may choose to stand in front of a mirror to see what is going on for the closing of the hoop.


Step 6 - rotate Relief Hoop

7.  Now once again hold each end of the Relief Hoop with a different hand's thumb and forefinger.  (This can be a little awkward feeling.)


Step 7 - grasping Relief Hoop


8.  Now just as you gently bent the Relief Hoop open, now you will move the ear post end and catch end back toward each other, swooping the ear post end around the catch and back into the opening of the hooked catch.  (Looking in a mirror may help to make sure you are moving the ends the correct direction relative to each other.)



Step 8 - closing Relief Hoops

9.  Finally, spin the Relief Hoop earring back through the piercing so that the ear post and catch are located at the back of the ear lobe.


Step 9 - rotate Relief Hoop


You can find our Niobium Relief Hoops for sensitive ears in our Pretty Sensitive Ears' etsy shop.  Check out all of our other fancy nickel free Niobium earring styles while you are there too - dangles and posts for every look!

Thanks for your visit!

xoxo - Amanda
 

Friday, May 3, 2013

NEW Resin Niobium Post Earrings for Sensitive Ears

I am listing today something brand NEW and totally unique!  Resin Niobium post earrings which we are thrilled about.  These are beautiful, solid, and so completely comfortable for sensitive ears.  Niobium is nickel free and is 100% hypoallergenic.  In this first round I have made several upcycled styles which reuse items otherwise headed for trash.  The result is truly one of a kind jewelry that is helping out the reduce/reuse/recycle cause!  These new styles are available in our Pretty Sensitive Ears' Etsy shop under the section titled "Other Niobium Posts" for sale until they are gone!  Remember they are all one of a kind sets of earrings, so if you see some you like, get them before someone else does!

These two kanji meaning "Scorpio" are from a Japanese magazine.

These are snippets from an old playing card.
Playing card snippets have red on the backside from the 2 of Hearts.  The red reflects on the back surface of the resin when viewed from the side.  So cool!

Double sided paper from an old Japanese calendar.
The back pattern reflects off the back surface of the resin.  Cool effect!  That's what I call a happy accident!

Holographic holly paper from an old gift bag.

Clear resin roses with some magenta glitter.  Lesson learned here: We will probably stick to opaque resin for these in the future so we can better see the petal shapes and texture details.

Twisted wire Niobium roses held within resin ovals.  Super cool!



I learned a lot in the process of creating these new resin post earring styles and will definitely be populating our Pretty Sensitive Ears' Etsy shop with many, many more variations for all of YOUR pretty, sensitive ears!

xoxo - Amanda