I have no idea if gold prices will ever drop enough to let me actually make these (or if I’ll make ’em out of ruby CZ and copper and have them plated gold instead), but here is one digital sketch of the Iron Man earcuffs I described in a recent* fan fiction piece. Readers wrote and asked me what the things looked like. And I have been a jeweler** at various times in my life, so I had no excuse not to play with the idea.
Actual in-story materials would be 18Kt red and yellow gold, red enamel, blue-white diamond, and natural ruby drops in a long rectangle cut.
Why earcuffs? Why not? They don’t require pierced ears, they’re really easy to wear if they’re made custom to the wearer, and they look great. When researching this sketch, I found some amazing real-life earcuffs out there for guys.
Hats off to Robert Downey, Jr. for surviving his early career burnouts and being so damn photogenic. The sheer numbers of RDJ photos out there made this sketch easy.
* the Avengers story in question, ‘Simple and Perfect’, is here, and involves some fairly mature M/M sensual descriptions. And raspberry creme chocolate. You have been warned. Don’t go there if M/M slash fiction freaks you out.
** here is a scan of a pair of sterling silver, carved jade, and citrine earcuffs I made for myself circa 1998 or so. One jade leaf got chipped in a misadventure of which I have fond memories. I haven’t replaced the leaf yet, but I still have fun wearing the earcuffs out to events.
This post was partly inspired by some recent professional cosplay videos I re-watched (to take the sting out of the horrid, sad, hot mess that was ‘Heroes of Cosplay’). One thing I keep noticing in many levels of cosplay: the jewelry sucks. Professional prop houses can turn out stuff in wirework, polymer clay, and bonded plastic that looks incredible…even if they don’t have the budget to go for actual lost-wax-cast metal and real gems. Yet many cosplayers seem to stop at clunky, awkward renditions or storebought, cobbled-together things.
No, please no. If you’re going to spend that many hours on a costume, don’t stumble over jewelry and other accessories. There are enough easy-to-use modern materials cheats and how-to articles about them. I have a slight edge, in that I have 30 years+ of burn scars to prove I’ve messed around with torches. Jewelry design is probably my very first creative obsession.
But trust me when I say that anyone with the skill set to sew elaborate layers of cloth, or make Sintra plastic armor look like steel or bronze – can make or fake jewelry to match.
Hola hell, those ear cuffs are amazing! Both the design/digital sketch and the real ones. I also love ear cuffs, and have a special affection for the ones that link in to other bits of jewellery – one of my favourite earrings I custom ordered from overseas is a stud-and-cuff combo with individual drops and a pair of delicate silver linking chains. I’d love to make my own, but alas, working metal has never been a talent I learned – I tended more towards beadwork and origami.
On a more relevant note, I can definitely see Stark wearing those earcuffs. The simple angles evoke the Iron Man armour chestplate and ‘perfect’ triangular structure (a staple of engineering!) while still keeping the (trademark?) ostentatious flair so integral to the Stark persona. Kudos!
Oh! Have you noticed the growing trend in fashion towards over-ear jewellery? Things like http://900jewelry.com/store/images/jke/jke029601p5.jpg are becoming more common, not just found in boutiques or online but also in ‘cheap’ chain stores like (in Australia) Diva, Equip, and Lovisa. I just wish they made more pairs instead of just making them available for left OR right! And again, when some skill with a soldering iron and metal file would come in handy…
Thank you! I played with a few design ideas before settling on something that seemed flashy, relevant, and suitably masculine. Plus, these could actually be made.
Re: over-the-ear jewelry. A lot of the new stuff is lovely. From the feather pieces, I got inspiration for some jewelry in my original fics.
As for skillsets, a wirework background could help you create some incredible pieces. There is a new wirework book out from Bead & Button Magazine that I am drooling over. I’m away from my main system, but I’ll post linkies later.
And one more thought: combine beadwork with a simple wire frame, and you might have some great earcuffs. Look up origami jewelry, too.