How To Make Earrings - Interweave

STEP 1STEP 2STEP 3STEP 4STEP 5STEP 6STEP 7STEP 8Even though earring makingprojects have never come easy to me,I was inspired by these vintage pearlearrings. I wanted to figure out how tore-create them using modern materials, and thanks to a little stash ofSwarovski crystal pearls, I managed todo just that! These are real old-worldglamor earrings, bold and brassy andfun to wear. Enjoy!STEP BY STEP DIRECTIONS:Step 1: On a 5' length of beading thread,pick up 6 A. Pass through the first beadagain, forming a ring. (If you are usingear wires, leave at least 7" of beadingthread as a tail to use for attachingyour ear wire.)Step 2: Keeping your tension tight, pickup 6 C and pass through the same Aagain. Pass into the next A in the ring,and add 6 C. Repeat for each A in thering.Step 3: Pick up 2 B and pass through theA you’re exiting again. Pass through thenext A in the ring, and add 2 B. Repeataround.Step 4: Pass through each B you added inthe previous step again to form a solidring. Pass through the first B of the second pair you added in the previousstep.Step 5: To form the “petals”, pick up 1 Band 1 C. Push them all the way downagainst the B you are exiting.Step 6: Pass your needle under the threadin the center of the 6 C you added inthe second step. (Similar to catchingthe thread in brick stitch.)Pass back through the 1 C and 1 Byou added in the previous step, theninto the next B in the ring.Pass through the next 2 B in the second ring, and add another C and B inthe same manner. Repeat around foreach of the petals.Step 7: From the B you are exiting, pickup 2 C and pass through the same B.(Same direction.) Pass through thenext B in the ring, and add 1 C. Repeataround, alternating 1 C and 2 C untilyou have added a total of 9 C.Pass through all 9 C again and pullsnugly to form a ring.Step 8: From the C you are exiting, pickup 1 D and push it down into the ring.Find either the 1 C or 2 C directlyacross from the bead (or beads) youare exiting, and pass through.Pass back through the D and thebead (or beads) you originally exited atthe beginning of this step. F W MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. F W MEDIA GRANTS PERMISSION FOR ANY OR ALL PAGES IN THIS ISSUE TO BE COPIED FOR PERSONAL USE. BEADINGDAILY.COMpage 5

STEP 9STEP 10STEP 11Step 9: Pick up 9 B and push them downStep 10: If you are using a clip-on earringagainst the beadwork as far as you can.Pass through all 9 B at least twice more,pulling snugly to form a ring that fitsaround the D in the center.Tack the ring of 9 B down by catching the thread between beads of thering of B you added in the third step.Knot your thread in the beadwork,weave your tail in a bit, and trim closeto the beadwork.finding or a post earring finding with apad, use E600 or Euro Tool Super NewGlue to attach the finding.Step 11: If you are using an ear wire,weave your tail through the first 3 Cyou added in the second step. Passthrough the ear wire, then downthrough the next 3 C, pass through theA, and back up through the first 3 C.Repeat the thread path a couple oftimes to secure, then knot your thread,weave it in, and trim it close to thebeadwork. Repeat all steps for the second earring.What’s your favorite inspiration forbeaded jewelry design ideas? Leave acomment on the Beading Daily blogand share your ideas with us! spx)stringingMAGAZINEBeads are hot and so is Stringing magazine!No matter what your level of ability is, youwill find plenty of inspiration in every issueof Stringing magazine.SUBSCRIBE NOW!stringingmagazine.com F W MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. F W MEDIA GRANTS PERMISSION FOR ANY OR ALL PAGES IN THIS ISSUE TO BE COPIED FOR PERSONAL USE. BEADINGDAILY.COMpage 6

Wire Wrapped Crystal EarringsJENNIFER VANBENSCHOTENMATERIALS 18 inches of 18 gauge craftwire 10 feet (or more) of 26gauge craft wire in color tocontrast 18 gauge wire (2) 14x10 oval Swarovskicrystal beads Ear wires of your choice (ormake your own with additional wire!)TOOLS Flush cutters Wubbers looping pliers (oryour favorite pair of combination pliers) Wubbers Extra-large roundmandrel pliers Flat nose or chain nose pliers Bench block (optional) Chasing hammer (optional)One wire technique that I love is wrapping a fine-gauge wire arounda heavier gauge. The finished look is “messy chic”, and goes prettywell with my usual style. I picked out some natural copper wire anda nice, heavy gauge of antique brass craft wire, and sat down tomake a funky earring-making project using just two crystals! F W MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. F W MEDIA GRANTS PERMISSION FOR ANY OR ALL PAGES IN THIS ISSUE TO BE COPIED FOR PERSONAL USE. BEADINGDAILY.COMpage 7

STEP 1STEP 2STEP BY STEP DIRECTIONS:Step 1: Cut the 18 gauge wire into two 9inch pieces, and set one aside. Usingeither the Wubbers looping pliers oryour favorite combination pliers, makea simple loop at the bottom of the wire.If desired, use your bench block andchasing hammer to flatten the loop. (Ifyou want a flat loop, do it now, beforeyou slide your crystal bead onto thewire!)Step 2: Slide one crystal oval bead ontothe wire, and using your chain nose orcombination pliers, make a small 1 8"bend in the wire at the top of the crystal. Wrap the remaining wire aroundthe largest jaw of the Wubbers Extralarge Circle mandrel pliers 21 2 times.If you want to tighten up or firm upyour wire circles, use your chasinghammer to give a gentle tap to the wirearound the jaw of the Wubbers.STEP 3Step 3: Make another 90 degree bend atthe top of the circle, with the crystalbead hanging down below.This is, admittedly, the hardest partof the earring making project. If you’rea perfectionist, you can get a ruler andmeasure exactly where the bendshould be so that you get a perfectlysymmetrical earring. Or, you can dowhat I did, and just make your bestguess and enjoy the results!Step 4: Now for the fun part! Cut 5 feetof the 26 gauge wire and just startwrapping your huge circle wire shapes!Your wraps can be neat and clean, ifyou like, or you can just go at it and letthe wire fall where it may. (I prefer thelatter option.)Because 5 feet of 26 gauge wire is awhole lot to handle on each and everywrap, I cut that piece into smallerpieces and just wrapped my little heartSTEP 4out. It went much faster, the wire didn’tkink up, and I got that “messy chic”look that I was after.To finish the ends of your wire, youcan wrap them under your workingwire, or just wrap them, trim the edgeas close as you can with your flush cutters, and use your chain nose or flatnose pliers to smush the ends into yourwraps.I have to admit that I really love thelook of the mixed metals in this wireearring making project, and I’m eagerto see what other shapes made by myWubbers pliers can be wrapped withfine-gauge copper wire! I’m alreadythinking up variations on these to useas components for bracelets, or evensmaller wrapped links for a short wireand crystal bead necklace. What otheruses for these can you think of? F W MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. F W MEDIA GRANTS PERMISSION FOR ANY OR ALL PAGES IN THIS ISSUE TO BE COPIED FOR PERSONAL USE. BEADINGDAILY.COMpage 8

STEP 1: Sort the feathers into two sets ofseven feathers. The center feather of eachset should be the longest, and the threefeathers on each side of it should symmetrically decrease in size.umberpheasantfeatherearringsSTEP 2: Cut 1" of 26-gauge wire. Make a mod-ified head pin by using the flat-nose pliersto bend one end of the wire into a U-shapejust wide enough to hold a 4mm bead (theheads of traditional headpins will bend the shafts ofthe feathers and theywon’t hang straight).String 1 topaz. Dab glueon the shaft of a shortfeather and pass into thebead at the end of thehead pin (Figure 1). Repeatfor three more pins andset aside to dry. You maywant to test the strengthFigure 1of the glue bond by tugging gently on the feather.MELODY MACDUFFEESTEP 3: Make another modified head pinusing 11 4" wire. String 1 topaz, 1 spacer, and 1brown, and attach a feather slightly largerthan the one used in Step 2. Repeat for threemore pins and set aside to dry.STEP 4: Make another 11 4" modified head pin.String 1 topaz, 1 spacer, 1 brown, 1 spacer,and 1 topaz, and attach a feather slightlylarger than the one used in Step 3. Repeat forthree more pins and set aside to dry.It is always a good thing to incorporategifts of nature into artwork—you gaina sense of connectedness to the worldaround you. A farmer’s gift of feathersgathered from his free-range chickens’coop inspired a run of ideas for thisdesigner, who incorporated pheasantquills into these earrings.STEP 5: Using a 11 2" modified head pin, string1 topaz, 1 spacer, 1 brown, 1 spacer, 1 topaz,1 spacer, and 1 topaz. Repeat once and gluethe largest feathers into the beads.STEP 6: Use round-nose pliers to formwrapped loops at the top of each of the 14beaded feather head pins.STEP 7: Cut the piece of 22-gauge wire in half.Use round-nose pliers to curl one end ofeach piece up to form a simple loop. Stringthe head pins on the crossbar with 3mm F W MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. F W MEDIA GRANTS PERMISSION FOR ANY OR ALL PAGES IN THIS ISSUE TO BE COPIED FOR PERSONAL USE. BEADINGDAILY.COMpage 9

smoke beads between them so thatthe feathers form a V. Form a loopat the other end of the wire, trimming off any unnecessary length(Figure 2).jump ring to the soldered ring on anearring post. Repeat to finish theother earring.STEP 8: Cut 2" of 26-gauge wire andwire-wrap a loop at one end. String1 brown, 1 spacer, 1 topaz, 1 spacer,and 1 smoke. Attach to a jump ringwith another wire-wrapped loop.Repeat once using the same jumpring. Attach each end to the wireloops of the feathered crossbar,using pliers if necessary to close theloops.Figure 2Jewelry artist MELODY MACDUFFEE lovesfinding ways to use nontraditional, not-so-STEP 9: Use a 11 4" piece of 26-gaugewire to make another modifiedhead pin. String 1 smoke, 1 spacer, 1brown, 1 spacer, and 1 topaz. Forma wrapped loop to attach the headpin to the jump ring between thetwo pins already there. Attach thecommon materials in her pieces. She workspart-time in a state-of-the-art bead store inMobile, Alabama, where she organizes andteaches classes on a variety of beading techniques. She is widely published in both beadand crochet publications.MATERIALS14 pheasant or other feathers measuring 1" to 11 4" in slightly graduatedlengths18 smoke 3mm round fire-polishedbeads28 topaz round 4mm round fire-polished beads16 metallic brown 4mm button-shapedfire-polished beads30 copper 4mm daisy spacers31 2" of 22-gauge sterling silver wire2' of 26-gauge sterling silver wire2 sterling silver 4-6mm soldered jumprings1 pair of sterling silver ear postsG-S Hypo Tube CementTOOLSRound-nose pliersFlat-nose pliersWire cuttersTECHNIQUESWire loopsStringingFINISHED SIZE: 2 1 2 "BEADWORK MAGAZINESUBSCRIBE TODAY!Discover the inner bead artist in you.Beadwork is a must-have for those of you who love makingbeaded jewelry. You’ll discover innovative beadweavingtechniques and artist tips and tricks to build on your skills.PLUS you’ll discover great design advice from editors, otherwell-known designers, and talented readers just like you.beadworkmagazine.com F W MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. F W MEDIA GRANTS PERMISSION FOR ANY OR ALL PAGES IN THIS ISSUE TO BE COPIED FOR PERSONAL USE. BEADINGDAILY.COMMore wonderful beadwork projectspageare 10available at interweavestore.com

hydrangeaearringsKELLI BURNSKelli wanted to usemarguerites for a simpleproject she could teachher clients. The sparkle ofthe flower-shaped crystalsand transparent seedbeads make these a pairof earrings you’ll want inevery color.ARTIST’S TIPDo not pull your thread toohard; the marguerites mayfray or even cut the thread. F W MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. F W MEDIA GRANTS PERMISSION FOR ANY OR ALL PAGES IN THIS ISSUE TO BE COPIED FOR PERSONAL USE. BEADINGDAILY.COMpage 11

STEP 1: Leafy vine. Use 6’ of thread tostring6 green seed beads; pass throughthem again to form a circle.Large leaves. String 12 green; pass backthrough the fourth and fifth beads toform a loop. String 8 green and passback through the second and firstbeads to form a loop (Figure 1).Small leaves. String 10 green; passback through the fifth and sixthbeads. String 6 green; pass backthrough the second and first beadsto form a loop (Figure 2).Repeat to make a second set of largeand small leaves (or for the desiredlength). End the vine with a set oflarge leaves, then string 4 green andpass back through the first 3 beads toform a fringe, exiting between the lastset of leaves (Figure 3).STEP 2: Flowers. String 1 crystal and1 rose seed bead; pull snug and passback through the crystal. Repeatthree times to form a cluster of fourflowers. Pass through the first crystal and seed bead again to tightenthe cluster. Pass back through thenext 4 green to exit between thenext set of leaves (Figure 4). Repeatfour times for a total of five flowerclusters. Use the pliers to twist theear-wire loop open and attach it tothe seed bead loop at the start ofthe vine. Repeat all steps for a second earring.KELLI BURNS owns and teaches at The HoleMATERIALS1 g rose size 15 Japanese seed beads4 g transparent green size 11 Czechseed beads40 rose 6mm marguerite crystals2 sterling silver French ear wires6 lb braided beading threadTOOLSSize 12 beading needleChain-nose pliersScissorsTECHNIQUESLeaf fringeFINISHED SIZE: 2"Bead Shoppe in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Reachher at www.theholebeadshop.com or the holebeadshop@aol.com. She is a frequent contributor to Beadwork.RESOURCESCheck your local bead shop or contact:Swarovski marguerite crystals, seed beads,ear wires, and thread: The Hole BeadShoppe, (918) 338-2444, www.theholebeadshop.com.Figure 1Figure 4Figure 3Figure 2More wonderful beadwork projects are available at interweavestore.com F W MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. F W MEDIA GRANTS PERMISSION FOR ANY OR ALL PAGES IN THIS ISSUE TO BE COPIED FOR PERSONAL USE. BEADINGDAILY.COMpage 12

MATERIALS40 bicone 4mm crystals.5 g size 15 Japanese seed beadsFireLine 6lb test1 pair French ear wirescrystal coronaearringsTOOLSScissorsRound-nose pliersSize 12 thin beading needlePILAR BURGTECHNIQUESNettingFINISHED SIZE: 1"(NOT INCLUDING E AR WIRE)Make the medallionSTEP 1: String a needle onto a 1yardlength of Fireline, leaving an 8” tail.String the inside of the medallion asfollows for a total of 12 beads: 1 size 11 seed, 1 crystal, 1 seed, 1 crystal, 1 seed,1 crystal, 1 seed, 1 crystal, 1 seed, 1crystal, 1 seed, 1 crystal (Figure 1).12345Figure 16789101112Jim LawsonFigure 11223561244a surgeon’sknot. Pass throughthe cirFigure11155cle to exit bead103 (Figure 2).111066978Figure 278Figure 321135112211244431112313 1415161154115101098106637798239730Figure 2Figure 5Figure 4Figure 2 F W MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. F W MEDIA GRANTS PERMISSION FOR ANY OR ALL PAGES IN THIS ISSUE TO BE COPIED FOR PERSONAL USE. BEADINGDAILY.COMpage 134221133 Tie the beadsSTEP2:intoa circle using9These crystal sunbursts can be madein any color combo you choose. Justmix your favorite color of bicones withcontrasting or matching seed beads.This easy, but beautiful design begs to berepeated again and again!1Figure 3

STEP 3: String 3 seeds, 1 crystal, 3STEP 7: Pass back through outer cir-seeds, skip the next crystal in thecircle and pass through the seedbead 5 (Figure 3).STEP 4: Continue around the circle,repeating the bead pattern in Step3, passing through the seed beads 7,9, 11, 1 and exiting bead 3 (Figure 4).Make the11 bail22STEP 5: Pass through the next 3 seeds5678910445566seed,Figure1 crystal,1 seed and pass back11Figurethrough bead 51 (Figure 7). Reinforce,passing pass back through the1133 beads 52-56, andbeads11just22added,continuethrough44beads 52, 5312and12121254.STEP 6: Continue around the circle,433through beads added in step 8(Figure 7).STEP 11: Weave thread into beadsand tie off using half-hitch knots.Trim. Thread a needle on the tailand weave that into the beads; trim.77STEP 8: String 1 seed, 1 crystal, 1and crystal, beads 13-16. String 1seed, 1 crystal, 1 seed and passthrough the next crystal, bead 23(Figure 5).repeating the bead pattern in Step5, passing through beads 30, 37, 44,51, and exiting bead (crystal) 16(Figure 6).STEP 10: For added security, passcle of beads created in Steps 5 and 6to tighten the circle, exiting crystalbead 51. Do not pull too snug or theshape will cup. Knot the workingthread to existing thread betweenbeads in several half hitches, but donot cut the thread.1111open the loop on an ear wire. Slipthe loop of the ear wire throughthe loop of seeds at the top of themedallion. Close the loop of theear33 wire. Repeat Steps 1–12 tomakea second earring.4411115510109: String 6 seedsSTEP10and pass 10back661122STEPround-nosepliers,88 12:99 Using101210 111112through54.99 bead77 Repeat through9988the12loop of beads again includingbead 54 to reinforce (Figure 8).FigureFigure2255PILAR BURG is an active member of the Iowa66Bead Society and lives in Iowa, where she7788 worksas a computer programmer. She can bereached at 098551010666998877373723237Figure 3Figure 4FigureFigure555154514455164433030Figure 5FigureFigure44Figure 331513 1454535655525356165152514372356730Figure 637Figure 716164411111115141513 1433 1344443323Figure 830 beadwork projects are available at interweavestore.comMore wonderful F W MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. F W MEDIA GRANTS PERMISSION FOR ANY OR ALL PAGES IN THIS ISSUE TO BE COPIED FOR PERSONAL USE. BEADINGDAILY.COMpage 14

Four Fun Ideas for Earring Making!JENNIFER VANBENSCHOTENand start making earrings. Sometimesworking without a pattern can be veryintimidating, but try one of these fourideas for earring making and find outjust how much fun it can be to designyour own beaded earrings!Easy and fun: use simple brick stitchdiamonds and lots of easy fringe tomake a pair of Nancy Zellers’ DiamondFringe Earrings.When I first started learning how tobead and was learning basic jewelrymaking, I loved earring making. I didn’trealize it at the time, but making earringsa great way to learn new beadweavingstitches and jewelry-making techniques.Handmade earring projects are (usually)small and not terribly overwhelming, sothey make perfect beading projects whenyou don’t have a lot of time or just need touse up a few leftover beads.Earring making is also a great wayto get a little beading time in with abusy schedule. Beaded earrings makegreat gifts, especially if you need a lastminute gift for a friend or co-worker. Ormaybe you just need a little somethingto jazz up your favorite winter sweater—a new pair of earrings can reallybreathe new life into a favorite blouse!Even if you don’t have a beadingpattern handy, there are lots of waysthat you can just pick up your beads1. Make a brick stitch diamond. This ispretty basic, but making earrings can’tget much easier than this. Stitch up asimple brick stitch diamond usingyour favorite beads—cylinder beads,cube beads, or throw in a big fire polished bead into the center of the diamond. Make some funky fringe with afew leftover bugle beads or maybesome long loops of seed beads, andyou have the classic (but updated!)beaded earring. Or just leave the diamond without any fringe and hang itfrom your favorite earring finding.Practicing your beaded bezels can be funand beautiful when you stitch up a pairof Cecilia Guastaferro’s Royal AmethystEarrings.2. Beaded beads. I just have a thing forthose easy little peyote-stitchedbeaded beads. It takes literally minutesto stitch up a little piece of peyote andthen zip it up. Add some more fringe ora fancy edging and hang it from a tinyseed bead loop! Or string your beadedbead on a head pin with a couple ofcrystal beads and you’ve got a little bitof glitz you can hang from your ears.Your basic peyote-stitched beaded beadcan get a little dressed up to make MaryTafoya’s Peyote Tassel Earrings.3. Beaded fringe. Beaded fringe isn’t justfor beaded necklaces and amulet bags!Making earrings from beaded fringe isa fast and easy way to make earringswith a serious

Fusion Beads 30 Day National Craft Month Challenge. The Day 1 challenge was, of course, to make a pair of earrings! . Skip the first seed bead in the next adjacent crossover and pass through the next six seed beads. Repeat until you have