Blue Hydrangea Long Bar Earrings by Platypus Max

Handmade by Rachel Summers of Platypus Max in Lexington, Massachusetts.

These unique shimmery lavender / blue earrings feature texture imprints of dried hydrangea flowers pressed into the leather before an impressionistic surface finish is hand-painted on.

Handcrafted from natural biodegradable vegetable tanned leather, these earrings are amazingly lightweight and comfortable to wear! Earring findings are made of hypoallergenic nickel-free metal.

Leather piece is approximately 2.25" long x 0.5" wide. Overall length is approximately 2.75" long.

Because this item is handmade, it will vary slightly from the image shown.

All pieces are designed and created by Rachel Summers.

A reverence for nature and eco-friendly practices are central to my philosophy. That is, to keep the carbon footprint of everything I create as low as possible, with minimal trash output, non-toxic materials and nature-focused designs. This means that my core materials are sourced as either pre-consumer waste scraps or small off-cuts to maximize material use, ethical practices, and without the use of new plastic materials.

Leather is one of my favorite materials, and I use it to make barrettes, earrings and other accessories. It is a wonderful natural, biodegradable material to work with as it holds impressions in a range of colors and textures. This allows me to create beautiful, functional pieces that capture natural impressions of various plants and other natural elements. I like to work with simple tools including handmade stamps, a hammer, a mechanical press, a sharp knife, rivets, dyes and paints. Embossed patterns are either hand-tooled or created by pressing plants or other natural textures and found objects into wet un-dyed leather.

Find more work from Platypus Max here.