Milena Zu | Cascade Beaded Earrings

Milena Zu - Cascade Beaded Earrings

A very elegant pair of black and gold drop earrings to add sophistication to your evening wear.

These earrings add instant glamour to your outfit with their rich black and gold colours. They are completely handmade, crocheted by hand using fine oxidised copper wire and beaded with small, grey Swarovski beads. The chains are sterling silver plated with ombre 24ct gold. The gold is a beautiful, rich colour and the curtain like volume of gold chains and their slightly edgy design make for a pair of stunning drop earrings.

Size: 13.5cm from top of hook to bottom of chain. Beaded section is 2.5cm long x 2cm wide

Italian jewellery designer Milena Zu, who now resides in Ubud, Bali, works with local artisans who are masters in an ancient crocheting technique. Each piece is crocheted completely by hand and each little bead carefully placed to create a smooth colour transition. No machine can do this work, so your piece will be completely unique.

This ancient crocheting technique that came from India to Indonesia at the time of incense trading a long time ago. They were using copper, brass and sometimes silver and pure gold, which they melt into a clay pot. When the metal is about to solidify they pull it through tiny holes into several meters of a single metal wire. Once the wire is ready, the crocheting starts by following certain mathematical calculations in order to achieve the shapes for each design. Using just a single and very simple crocheting tool similar to a fishing hook, this is a very lengthy technique. This process cannot be done by a machine, and it is magical to see as every new shape is created.

Milena’s brand is focused on ethically sourced materials and processes without the use of harmful chemicals. The galvanic metal coatings with silver and pure gold are executed by hand one by one as it used to be in the ancient Egyptian times.

Milena has explored and experimented over the years with all kinds of materials and her contemporary jewellery carries a unique style and an edgy flavor. She is always exploring new ways of merging elements and you will find colourful silk yarns and tiny crystals stitched on her metallic mesh jewellery entirely woven by hand.