Handmade Ship Wheel Stud Earrings — 925 Sterling Silver, Rhodium Plated White Gold Finish, Swiss CZ

José Lux mostly makes Moissanite earrings. The Ship Wheel Stud is a different kind of piece — it's a silhouette design, not a stone-first design. The frame does most of the visual work here. A solid 925 sterling silver ship wheel: a round ring with eight spokes radiating out to a polished outer rim, a small CZ center stone at the hub, and a ring of CZ stones set along the inner face of the wheel rim. The CZ stones trace the circle of the wheel. The silver spokes and the open spaces between them read as the wheel structure. On the ear, the silhouette reads clearly as a ship's helm — distinctive, compact, not a generic stud shape.

This is one of the more structurally complex frames we make. The eight spokes have to be even and clean. The outer rim has to be a true circle. The CZ ring along the inner rim has to follow that curve continuously with no visible gaps. The center stone has to sit centered at the exact hub. Getting all of that right — on both earrings, so they match — is the bench work our Vietnam workshop does before these leave.

The post and screw-back are 925 sterling silver. The screw-back threads fully onto the post, locks, and detaches completely for cleaning. One pair — two earrings.

The Ship Wheel Frame — Solid 925 Sterling Silver

The wheel frame is cut and finished from 925 sterling silver — 92.5% pure silver, 7.5% copper for strength. The structure is: a round outer rim, eight spokes connecting the rim to the center hub, and the open window spaces between each spoke. That open-work structure is what makes this earring light on the ear despite its visual size. You're not looking at a solid disc — you're looking at a wheel with actual negative space through it.

The outer rim carries a ring of Swiss CZ stones set along its inner face — the stones face inward toward the hub rather than outward toward the viewer. That placement means the CZ sparkle is contained inside the wheel outline, reinforcing the circular shape without competing with the spoke geometry. It's a more considered stone placement than a standard outer halo.

The spokes are polished and rhodium plated along with the rest of the frame. They read mirror-bright against the skin. The open spaces between them let the lobe show through, which is what keeps the earring from reading as heavy. Size on the ear, presence without weight — that's what the open-work frame achieves.

The Swiss CZ Stones — Center Hub and Wheel Ring

There are two stone placements on this earring: a small center stone at the hub of the wheel, and a ring of stones set along the inner face of the outer rim. All stones are Swiss CZ — cubic zirconia, lab-created, sourced from Switzerland. Round brilliant cut. Not Moissanite. Not diamond. José Lux states this plainly because we want you to know exactly what you're buying.

Swiss CZ has clean white brilliance. Consistent light return, no rainbow fire. For a silhouette earring like this one, that's the right optical character. The CZ stones trace the wheel ring and anchor the center hub. They add sparkle points to the silver frame without dominating it. The frame is the design — the stones support it.

The center stone sits in a bezel-style mount at the hub. The wheel ring stones are individually hand-set along the curved inner face of the rim and secured in place. All stones are checked before the earring ships.

The Post and Screw-Back — Sterling Silver

The post, screw-back nut, and backplate disc are all 925 sterling silver. Solid silver throughout. No brass. No base metal at any point of ear contact.

The screw-back threads onto the post and locks mechanically. Wind the nut clockwise until it seats firmly against the back of the lobe. That lock holds throughout daily movement, exercise, and sleep. A butterfly push-back uses spring friction that weakens over time. A screw-back doesn't. It locks until you actively unscrew it.

The full screw-back assembly detaches completely from the post by unscrewing. With the back removed, the full earring face is open for cleaning — the CZ ring along the inner rim, the center stone, all the spaces between the spokes. Warm water, a soft brush through every recess, rinse clean. The thread re-engages exactly the same way every time.

Solid silver post means no corroding base metal against the piercing. Plated brass posts corrode when the coating wears. The oxidized brass irritates skin over time. José Lux uses solid 925 sterling silver for the post on every stud earring we make. That's the standard.

The Metal and Plating

The complete earring — the wheel frame, every spoke, the outer rim, the center hub, the post, and the screw-back — is 925 sterling silver. The frame needs proper silver thickness to hold the spoke geometry clean and rigid. Thin silver flexes and the spokes gradually deform or widen at the joints. José Lux uses properly gauged silver for this frame.

Every earring gets a rhodium plated white gold finish applied by hand at our workshop in Vietnam. Not machine-dipped. Our artisans have been hand-plating silver for years. The ship wheel frame has a lot of surface geometry — the inner faces of the spokes, the curved inner rim face where the CZ ring sits, the open spaces between spokes. Machine dipping covers the outer faces and misses the inner geometry. Hand application reaches all of it.

Rhodium is harder than gold and sits as a barrier between the silver and the air. Conservative baseline for this finish: three years of regular daily wear before any fading is noticeable. Many José Lux customers re-plate after five years. Some have gone eight years before the first re-plate. Skin chemistry, wear frequency, and chemical exposure all affect the timeline. Re-plating is always free at José Lux — no time limit, no conditions.

Warranty and Repairs

Every stone on a José Lux stud earring is hand-set and secured before it ships. Stone loss from normal daily wear is extremely rare.

If a Swiss CZ stone comes loose under everyday use — no drops, no impacts, just daily wear — José Lux handles it:

• Swiss CZ stone re-setting: Always free. José Lux imports CZ in volume and absorbs the cost entirely. No exceptions.
• Rhodium re-plating: Always free at the José Lux workshop. No time limit. No conditions.
• Post or screw-back replacement: If a silver component fails under normal use, José Lux replaces it free.

What's not covered: stones lost due to hard physical impact — an earring dropped from height, struck against a hard surface, or showing visible deformation from a fall. José Lux inspects each case individually. If a repair falls outside the warranty, we'll still fix it — at cost, with a clear quote before anything is done.

Shipping

Free via USPS to the United States and Europe. Tracking sent the day your order ships. Estimated delivery 7–14 business days. European orders can see customs delays — José Lux states that honestly rather than promise a window we can't control.

Every shipment is 100% insured. If something goes wrong in transit — lost, delayed, or damaged — you're covered in full. Even if an incorrect address was entered at checkout, a full refund is issued. You either receive your earrings in perfect condition or you get your money back.

Your earrings ship in two layers: the inner box holds the earrings securely with anti-shock protection; the outer box protects everything in transit. Inside every order: a silver polishing cloth and a José Lux workshop warranty card.

Specifications

Style	Ship Wheel Stud Earrings · Eight-Spoke Open-Work Silver Frame
Sold As	One Pair — 2 Earrings
Frame Design	Solid 925 Sterling Silver ship wheel — outer rim, eight spokes, center hub, open-work negative space
Center Stone	Swiss CZ — round brilliant, bezel-set at wheel hub
Rim Stones	Swiss CZ — round, hand-set along inner face of outer wheel rim
Stone Material	Swiss CZ (Cubic Zirconia) — lab-created, sourced from Switzerland
Stone Setting	Each stone hand-set and individually secured before shipping
Post Material	925 Sterling Silver — solid, no base metal
Closure Type	Screw-back — threaded sterling silver nut, fully removable for cleaning
Back Disc	925 Sterling Silver backplate
Metal	925 Sterling Silver (92.5% silver / 7.5% copper) — full earring
Plating	Rhodium Plated White Gold Finish — hand-applied at José Lux Vietnam workshop
Plating Durability	Conservative baseline: 3 years daily wear · Many customers report 5–8 years before re-plate
For	Women / Ladies · Pierced ears
CZ Stone Re-setting	FREE — José Lux imports in bulk, cost absorbed entirely
Re-plating	Always FREE at José Lux workshop — no time limit
Post / Back Replacement	FREE if component fails under normal use
Shipping	Free USPS — United States & Europe · 7–14 business days
Insurance	100% order value insured — full refund if issue in transit
Origin	Handmade at José Lux workshop, Vietnam
Includes	Care cloth, warranty card

Our Workshop

Our workshop is in Vietnam. The artisans who cut the ship wheel frames, hand-set the CZ stones, fabricate the screw-back closures from sterling silver, and apply the rhodium finish by hand have been doing this work for years — longer than most jewelry brands have been selling online.

An open-work silhouette earring is harder to finish consistently than a solid frame. Every spoke edge is exposed. Every inner rim face shows. The geometry has to be clean before plating, because the rhodium layer reveals surface quality — it doesn't hide it. We've made enough open-work frames to know what the finishing has to look like. These meet that standard before they leave our workshop.

Your Earrings Arrive Protected — Two-Layer Box Packaging, USPS Insured

Your earrings ship in two layers of packaging. The inner jewelry box holds each earring securely in place. The outer box protects everything during transit. On top of that, the earrings themselves are wrapped in a shock-absorbing layer before they go into the box — so there's no movement, no impact damage, nothing shifts in transit.

Shipping is via USPS with 100% jewelry insurance on every order. If something goes wrong in transit — lost, delayed, damaged — we cover it. Even if an address was entered incorrectly at checkout, José Lux refunds you in full. You either receive your earrings in perfect condition, or you get your money back. That's the José Lux standard.

FAQ

What exactly is the ship wheel design — how is it structured?

A classic ship's helm: a round outer rim with eight evenly spaced spokes connecting it to a center hub, and open negative space between each spoke. That open-work structure is what makes it read as a wheel rather than a solid disc. A ring of Swiss CZ stones runs along the inner face of the outer rim — set so the stones face inward toward the hub, tracing the wheel circle. A single Swiss CZ stone sits at the center hub. The silver is polished and rhodium plated. On the ear, the silhouette is immediately recognizable. It's a compact earring with a lot of character in its geometry.

Are the stones Moissanite or CZ?

Swiss CZ — cubic zirconia, lab-created, sourced from Switzerland. Not Moissanite. Not diamond. The center hub stone and the ring of stones along the inner rim are all Swiss CZ. José Lux states this clearly because we want you to know exactly what you're buying. This is a silhouette-driven design — the ship wheel frame is the main event. The CZ stones add sparkle points to the geometry without overpowering it. Swiss CZ's clean white brilliance is the right choice here.

Does the open-work design feel delicate or fragile?

No. The wheel frame is cut from properly gauged 925 sterling silver — thick enough to hold the spoke structure rigid under daily wear. The open spaces between the spokes are part of the design, not a structural weakness. The spokes connect the outer rim to the hub in a load-distributed pattern. The rhodium plating adds a hardness layer over the silver surface. This earring is built for daily wear. If you treat it the way you'd treat any silver earring — keep it off around perfume and chlorine, give it a wipe after wearing — it holds up well.

How does this earring look on the ear?

Small and precise. The ship wheel sits close to the lobe. The open-work frame means the design reads clearly without covering a lot of skin — the lobe shows through the spoke spaces, which keeps the earring proportional even though the outer rim extends to the spoke tips. The CZ ring glints along the inside of the wheel circle. The center stone anchors the hub. The rhodium plated silver is mirror-bright on every spoke face. In direct light, the CZ stones catch and the spoke geometry reads crisp. It's a distinctive silhouette at close range — you can clearly tell what it is. If you want something that reads as specifically designed rather than generic, this earring does that without being oversized.

How do I clean these earrings?

Unscrew the back nut and remove it completely from the post. The open-work frame is now fully accessible from the front. Use a soft toothbrush with warm water and mild soap. Work the bristles through the spoke gaps and along the inner rim where the CZ stones sit. Residue accumulates in the recesses of an open-work frame during daily wear. Rinse thoroughly. Dry completely before reattaching the screw-back. That routine takes under a minute and keeps the silver and stones looking clean.

How long does the plating last?

Conservative baseline: three years of regular daily wear before any fading is noticeable. Many José Lux customers re-plate after five years. The longest we've recorded before a first re-plate: eight years of daily wear. Skin chemistry, how often you wear them, and chemical exposure all affect the timeline. Re-plating is always free at José Lux. No time limit. Ship them back whenever the finish needs refreshing.

What does the warranty cover?

If any Swiss CZ stone comes loose under normal daily wear — no drops, no impacts — José Lux re-sets it for free. All CZ re-setting is free, no exceptions. Rhodium re-plating is always free, no time limit. Post or screw-back replacement is free if a silver component fails under normal use. What's not covered: stones lost from a drop or hard impact, or visible frame deformation from a fall. José Lux inspects each case. If a repair falls outside the warranty, we quote the cost clearly before any work is done.

Where are these earrings made?

Handmade at the José Lux workshop in Vietnam. The artisans who cut and finish the wheel frames, set the CZ stones along the inner rim and at the hub, fabricate the screw-back closures from silver, and hand-plate every surface have been doing this work for years. An open-work frame with eight spokes requires more finishing precision than a solid disc frame — every spoke edge and every inner rim face needs to be clean and even before plating. Both earrings have to match. This is José Lux's own workshop, not a third-party factory.