How to repair spiral or hanging styles of horn ear gauges that have warped.

This is the fourth installation of blogs on jewelry care specific to organics hosted by Avaia Artistic Jewelry. One common problem that can occur with horn jewelry items is warpage. Horn warps when either the horn was not properly dried prior to carving and then was shipped to the customer before the moisture content stabilized, or is due to exposing horn jewelry to moisture. You should never shower or get horn jewelry wet. Having said that, not all is lost and you may be able to repair the damage depending on the degree of warpage and the fragility of the horn. This technique may not work for all items, but you may meet with success if you are willing to try it.

The first thing you need to do is soak the jewelry back in water for at least 24 hours. The moisture content needs to be increased again so that the jewelry can be reshapened. Once soaked, towel dry the jewelry and place in the middle of a heavy book. Much like pressing flowers, you now need to stack significant weight onto the book. It is suggested that the items stay pressed in the book for 2 to 4 weeks. The longer, the greater the chance of success. Shine and colour can be brought back into the jewelry once it has dried with a light coating of jojoba oil.

And there you have it. Repaired and reshapen ear gauges or other horn jewelry.
Would you rather just buy something new. Visit Avaia Artistic Jewelry and check out our amazing selection of quality jewelry at rock bottom prices.

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Halloween is coming! Let's look at some gauge styles befitting this holiday.

Whether Halloween comes once a year to you or if it is your style all year long, Avaia Artistic Jewelry will have a style of gauges to match your personality or party.  Check out some of our favourites below.

Our HOWL style is hand carved out of organic water buffalo horn with bone dust inlay.

Appropriately named "Hellbent" these were designed to be scary

The above style was name "Tempest" and could pair wonderfully with Halloween.

This dragon style is called "Scatha"

And another dragon style called "Parthos"

And what about some OWLS?

The above owl is called "labyrinth" after the barn owl in the movie.

The SAGARIS style has a medevil feel to it. We also have this style in bone, red sabo wood and black areng wood.

And DIABLOS named after the devil himself.

Also possibly an urge to Howl at the Moon.

But what ever you plan for Halloween or thereafter, check out the selection of gauges at Avaia Artistic Jewelry and let us make your day or every day awesome.

One of a kind SATIRE organic spiral ear gauges - only at Avaia Artistic Jewelry

At Avaia Artistic Jewelry we pride ourselves on being able to offer some unique, one of a kind designs to our customers. The Satire style is hand carved out of organic buffalo horn with sterling silver inlay. We specifically commissioned this design for Avaia and we don't expect that you will find it anywhere else. We are currently offering a special on this design - click here. Once they are gone, we will not be getting more in stock. Don't pass up your chance to own one of our unique earring styles. Available in 12g through 1/2"

How big should you gauge your ears?

People begin the process of stretching their ears with many different goals.  But how big is too big for you?  We'v decided to talk about this topic from our experience at Avaia Artistic Jewelry.  We have ear gauges for sale in all sizes, but this little guide may help you decide how quickly to stretch up, and when to decide to stop.
If having your ears return to a normal appearance is an option that you want, we suggest that you stop somewhere between a 4g and 2g.  Most people (there are individual differences of course and this is only a guide), can stretch to this size and return to wearing standard gauge earrings (with a bit of stretchy lobes) and no noticable hole.  Some people may be able to stretch larger, but the "point of no return" varies from individual to individual.  The photo below shows an individual that had stretched to a 00g, or about 9.5mm, after a rest from stretching, and minor plastic surgery to repair the stretch.

The type of jewelry that you plan wear is also a significant factor when deciding how far to go.  Hanging styles typically are sold up to a 1/2" gauge size, and you may find limited styles in larger gauges, but they are far less common.

Plugs can start as small as a 10g, but they are hardly noticable at this size and would lack detail.  Tunnels may begin at 4g, but really begin at 2g with a variety of styles.  If you are looking for detailed carvings in your plugs and tunnels, you may have to stretch as large as 1/2" to get the detail that you are looking for.

The type of material plays a factor as well.  Bone gauges are limited in hanging styles to a size of 0g at best as bone, in general, is not a thick material to carve when working with flat pieces.  Bone tunnels can be larger in size as long bone is used, which is naturally hollow.
Horn can be carved in gauges of all sizes, but hanging styles will still be limited in the larger sizes.

Wood has no limit in carving sizes, but is quite fragile in the smaller gauge sizes.

Stone and glass has no limit in plug size, but becomes quite heavy in larger sizes.

Shell gauges are limited to the thickness of the shell, and are generally available in sizes under 0g, with occasional sizes that are larger.

Whatever you decide, we at Avaia Artistic Jewelry would be happy to help you with your decision.  Visit our website at www.avaiaartisticjewelry.com or drop us a note at orders@avaiaartisticjewelry.com  Please visit our facebook page or our wordpress blog.