A phoenix feather, worked in silver wire the way the Miao filigree workshops of Guizhou have always worked it — then either left as bare metal or filled with cloisonné enamel and fired. The drop measures roughly 6 to 8 cm depending on the style, long enough to move when you turn your head, and light enough to forget you are wearing it.
Key details
- 999 silver. Stated by the workshop as solid silver (足银), left untarnished and unplated, so the metal stays bright between wears.
- Miao filigree, not cast. The feather is built from fine silver wire worked into the barb pattern by hand — the 苗族花丝 technique, practised in Guizhou workshops for generations, which is why no two feathers carry quite the same line.
- Cloisonné enamel on the colourway styles. Glass powder is filled into cells wired onto the feather and fired, giving the green and blue inlay seen in the enamel versions.
- Four styles to choose from. Plain silver or enamel, small or large — and every pair carries a clear anti-tarnish finish for everyday wear.
- Miao silver from Guizhou. Cut and finished in the 苗族银饰 tradition of southwest China, then checked and packed by hand before it leaves the workshop.
Specification
| Sold as | One pair — left and right earring |
|---|---|
| Material | 999 silver (足银), untarnished, unplated |
| Craft tradition | Miao silver filigree (苗族花丝) — a Chinese intangible cultural heritage craft |
| Techniques | Miao filigree (苗族花丝); cloisonné enamel (景泰蓝) on the colourway styles |
| Style options | Plain silver or enamel · Small or Large · anti-tarnish finish on every pair |
| Silver weight, as listed by the workshop | 6.1 g small plain · 7.3 g small enamel · 10.5 g large plain · 13.5 g large enamel (per pair, ±1 g) |
| Dimensions (approx.) | Drop 6.3–7.8 cm depending on style · 6.5 × 4.6 × 1.8 cm plain small · 6.3 × 4.5 × 2.0 cm enamel small · 7.8 × 5.8 × 2.3 cm plain large · 7.3 × 5.5 × 2.0 cm enamel large |
| Earring type | Hook; rhombus silhouette |
| Origin | Guizhou, China |
| Studio | 银艺绣非遗手作银饰 — 黔东南, China |
| Dispatch | Usually dispatched within 5–7 working days |
| Returns | 30 days from delivery, item unused and in its original packaging |
About the two techniques
Miao filigree (苗族花丝) is drawn silver wire, worked into curls and then soldered into a flat pattern. It is a slow, heat-and-hands craft: the wire has to be annealed repeatedly before it will hold a curve, and the feather pattern here is built bar by bar rather than stamped from a die.
Cloisonné (景泰蓝) fills those wired cells with ground glass and fires it in a kiln, which is where the blue and green in the enamel styles come from. Plain styles skip this step entirely and keep the surface as bare silver.
Keeping silver looking right
Silver wants to be worn. Put the earrings on before your perfume and avoid contact with household cleaners; wipe them with a dry cloth and keep them in the pouch they arrive in. The anti-tarnish finish already on every pair slows the dulling that bare silver picks up from skin and air — which matters most if you wear them daily.
Each feather is filed, soldered and finished by hand, so small differences in the curl of the wire, the weight and the depth of the enamel are part of the piece rather than a defect.
Dispatched from the workshop within 5–7 working days. Import duties, where they apply, are calculated and shown at checkout. Returns are accepted within 30 days of delivery if the piece is unused and in its original packaging.