Studio Stories: The Oval Chain Link Drop Gemstone Earrings
What Are the Oval Chain Link Drop Gemstone Earrings?
The Oval Chain Link Drop Gemstone Earrings are hand-fabricated drop earrings featuring center-drilled aquamarine set within hand-formed 14k gold-filled U-shaped links and paperclip chains, with recycled 14/20k gold-filled components, part of the Tamar Collection by Andrea Li Jewelry. This design was not planned. It was discovered by accident on the workbench.
After fabricating the sculptural U-shaped elements that appear throughout the Tamar Collection, in the Topaz Gemstone Drop Earrings, the Pendant Pastel Gemstone Drop Necklace, and other pieces, Andrea Li accidentally placed two finished U shapes on her desk end-to-end. She was not designing. She was clearing space. And then she saw it: the two forms created a longer, more architectural shape that felt modern, balanced, and completely unexpected.
How Did a Desk Accident Become a Finished Design?
The accidental alignment of two U-shaped components produced a form that looks inevitable in hindsight but only exists because no one was trying to force it. That moment of recognition, seeing a design where none was intended, is a recurring part of Andrea Li's creative process, and one of the reasons her pieces carry a sense of discovery rather than calculation.
From that initial spark, the design evolved deliberately. Paperclip chain links were introduced between the joined forms to create movement and negative space, openings within the structure that let light and skin show through, preventing the earrings from reading as solid or heavy. The architecture needed a center element that felt clean and contemporary, something that would add brilliance without overwhelming the geometry of the linked forms.
The answer had been sitting on the bench the entire time.
Why Did These Aquamarines Only Work in This Design?
Andrea Li had purchased a strand of center-drilled aquamarines from one of her Tucson Gem Show vendors early in the collection process. Center-drilled stones are strung through their widest point rather than top-drilled, which changes how they sit and move within a design; they hang in symmetrical balance rather than dangling from an edge.
Despite multiple attempts to incorporate them into other pieces in the Tamar Collection, nothing worked. The proportions clashed, or the drilling orientation conflicted with the surrounding structure. The stones sat unused through the entire collection build.
Placed in the center of the linked U-shaped forms, they suddenly made sense. The even orientation of center-drilled stones aligned perfectly with the clean geometry of the earring structure, adding just the right amount of soft blue brilliance without competing with the architectural framework around them. Sometimes a material is not wrong for the collection; it is simply waiting for the right design to arrive.
What Is the Sculptural U Shape and Why Does It Appear Throughout the Tamar Collection?
The hand-formed 14k gold-filled U shape is a recurring structural element across multiple pieces in the Tamar Collection. It appears in the Topaz Gemstone Drop Earrings, the Pendant Pastel Gemstone Drop Necklace, and now in a doubled configuration in these Oval Chain Link Drop Gemstone Earrings.
The U shape functions as both a decorative motif and a structural connector, a curved form that introduces rhythm and visual continuity across the collection without making every piece look the same. In these earrings, joining two U shapes end to end transforms a familiar element into something entirely new: a longer, oval-like form with an architectural quality distinct from any other piece in the collection.
This kind of design vocabulary, a repeated element that takes on different meaning depending on its context, is what gives a collection coherence without repetition.
What Is the History of Aquamarine as a Talisman?
Long before it appeared in earrings, aquamarine was carried across open seas as a protective stone. Ancient Greeks and Romans associated aquamarine with Poseidon and Neptune, and maritime lore held that mermaids treasured the stone and would protect sailors who wore it as a talisman against rough waters and misfortune.
Aquamarine was carved into goblets believed to purify water and was thought to calm seasickness and reconcile enemies, an early symbol of smooth passage and clear communication. In contemporary metaphysical practice, aquamarine is associated with the throat chakra and with cool-headed courage: the ability to speak truth under pressure rather than react out of emotion.
That heritage makes the aquamarine in these earrings more than a wash of blue. It is a material with centuries of association with clarity, composure, and steady navigation, qualities that translate naturally from ancient seafaring to modern life.
How Would You Describe the Style of These Earrings?
These earrings are modern but not minimal. Structured but not rigid. They have an unconventional quality that sets them apart from both classic drop earrings and trend-driven statement pieces, occupying a space between the two that is difficult to find in mass-produced jewelry.
The combination of architectural gold-filled forms, open negative space, and the soft blue glow of center-drilled aquamarine creates a piece that feels considered from every angle. It is the kind of design that rewards a second look; the more closely you examine it, the more intentional every element becomes.
The Oval Chain Link Drop Gemstone Earrings are part of the Studio Stories series, where Andrea Li documents the design decisions, material choices, and making process behind each piece in the Tamar Collection.
