Lady Slipper Orchids

These Lady Slipper earrings are inspired by Cypripedopodeae, which is a subfamily of orchids commonly known as Lady Slipper orchids. They are characterized by the slipper-shaped pouches of the flowers. The pouch traps insects so they are forced to climb up past the staminode, behind which they collect or deposit pollinia, thus fertilizing the flower. There are approximately 165 species in this subfamily. My rendition is cast in sterling silver by the lost wax process, and is 7/8 inch wide and one inch tall, which I think is a perfect size. This scaled-down design is textured & shaped like you would find on the real flower with all the sculptural details to give this artwork the feel of a genuine flower frozen in silver. There are a variety of Nature inspired designs elsewhere in my Etsy shop.