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Description
- Iridescent white rectangle shape coin pearls
- Approx. 11mm x 16mm
- Bullet back cufflink.
- Each is one of a kind!
- Textured, electroformed copper surrounding the pearls.
- Handmade. Please allow for slight variations in color, shape and size.
- Kraft gift box included.
Coin pearls are freshwater pearls, grown in mussels living in rivers and lakes. Like all cultured pearls, coin pearls get their start in a pearl farm when a pearl technician inserts a nucleus into a mollusk. The difference between this process and that of traditional pearls is that here the nucleus is flat or coin shaped. This guides the mollusk into creating a flat pearl. The process can take up to a year or more before the pearl is ready.
Each pair of cufflinks is unique and one of a kind, and made by hand by printmaker, metalworking artist and Cyberoptix founder, Bethany Shorb. I work between Detroit, MI and Los Angeles, CA, where I source all our stone, crystal, shell, fossil and horn specimens. They are intuitively sourced in person, in LA from only the most reputable suppliers.
What is Electroforming?
Electroforming is the intricate process of fusing metal onto another medium using a low voltage electrical charge. The scientific process was discovered by Professor Moritz von Jacobi in the Academy of Science, St Petersburg, Russia. Thomas Edison used electroforming in his work, as did Michael Faraday, a famous 19th century physicist and chemist.
Coated with a conductive medium, the cufflinks are suspended in an electrolytic solution comprised of acid and copper sulfate. The electrical charge breaks down a positively charged copper anode and deposits it onto the piece, which is suspended from the negatively charged cathode. A layer of copper very slowly forms over the piece. After many hours of moving copper ions onto the organic piece, it is removed from the bath and goes on to polish, patina, and sealing processes. The piece is then ready to become jewelry! It is hardy and durable, while the original organic material remains encased in the copper.
