Unless I am just imagining it all, my best known work are my “pompom” earrings. They sell consistently, and they often get chosen by fellow Etsy users to be featured in their Treasuries. One pair (with rhodochrosite, the red pair on the right) even had the luck to grace the front page of Etsy.

It all began with the chrysoprase pair shown at the top. This pair occupies a special place in my heart in many ways. It was the very first item I listed in my Etsy shop, and it was my very first Etsy sale (within hours of listing as a matter of fact). It was the most-viewed (2000+ views) and most-hearted (66 hearts) item in my shop until it finally sold out after a year-long run on May 18th, which it achieved all without ever being featured on Etsy front page! Needless to say, it was something of an emotional moment for me when the last one in the stock sold, taking down with it all its hearts and views. (Now I only have enough chrysoprase beads to make a couple more pairs.)


7″ would be too big for earrings, I think
(A big side note: Wikipedia recognizes “pom-poN” as the correct spelling. Huh. As much as I respect wikipedia, pom-poM sounds so much better to me.)



I rounded up my pompom earrings in all sorts of colorful gemstones below for a group photo shoot. I have accumulated quite a few of them!

Pompoms galore! Back row: pink tourmaline, grossular garnet; middle row: aquamarine, Peruvian blue opal, rhodochrosite; front row: chrysoprase, red spinel

To make a pair, two conditions should be met: plain rondelles in the right size and shape, and ball-end silver headpins in the right size and shape. I am always on the look out for the former. For the latter, I have spent enormous amount of $$ and time looking for suppliers carrying the right headpins. Fun! Apparently, ball-end headpins can be made using a torch and fine silver wire. One day I plan to give it a try. I am not convinced that this process is cost- or time- effective though. Luckily, I have stashed away a small mountain of silver headpins that should last for a year or two. Hopefully. :-)

A few design lines spun off from the original pompoms. Individual shapes vary a bit, but the 3-dimensional form factor is shared by all. They are shown below.

These are a smaller version of the pompoms. At about just 1cm across, these are even tinier in person. Lean-shaped, hand-forged earwires are used in place of the usual leverbacks.
Again, a smaller version of the pompoms. Hand-forged round earwires are used.
Tanzanite clusters sit atop moss amethyst briolettes. In my opinion, this “cluster over briolette” is one of the most overused among wire-worked earring designs. In order to get my works stand out from the crowd, I try to infuse them with a little extra flair. Extra flair such as… extreme pompomness! :-D
Rondelle clusters below “hugger” earrings. I love the compact form factor of this design. The rondelle clusters are shaped like the bottom half of the pompom clusters.
Not looking much like pompoms at this point, but these “starburst” designs are based on the same concept as the pompoms. Small faceted rondelles are stacked up and then arranged in a 3-D shape. This pair in blue zircon is my favorite: available in my Etsy store.