ECT TV Episode 11: How to Make Earrings with Chain, Wire & Beads

ECT TVHow to Make EarringsJewelry Tutorials

Mar 25

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This week I'll teach you how to make a funky pair of earrings with wire, chain and beads.Here's the video episode:Wire is great!Once you get comfortable with working with wire the sky is the limit with what you can make!Today I'll show you a tutorial that uses just a little wire, but you can make other designs with it to make similar earrings when you feel comfortable.My Systems:I refer to this post about being creative and bipolar in which I tell you my system for dealing with have a ton of ideas and what I refer back to when I am feeling blocked for ideas.The Tutorial:This tutorial is great because I'll show you the basic instructions, but then there is so much more you can do to customize the earrings.Try working with the wire and creating different shapes and see what you come up with!Tools and Materials:

2 matching beads
20 gauge, half-hard round wire
2 headpins (or make your own with wire - I'll show you how)
2 earring wires (or make your own)
Chain
4 - 4mm jump rings
Wire cutters
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers
Bent nose pliers
Nylon or rawhide hammer and steel block (optional)

A note about beads: Remember, these are earrings, so be thoughtful about the weight of the beads you choose. Other than that, any beads you want to use are great.The beads I am using in this tutorial (and also the beads in the video) are from Happy Mango Beads.From the video, I used: Rainbow Fluorite Round Beads 9-10mm.In these photos I used: Green Round Tabular Recycled Glass Beads - Indonesia 10mmStep #1First, we'll make the head pins. If you want to use pre-made headpins, that's fine. Just skip these steps.Cut 2 pieces of 20 gauge half-hard wire about 3" long.Step #2Make sure both ends are cut with a flush cut.(Here's a tip for making your loops uniform.)Hold the wire in round nose pliers. The wire should be at the top, but not poking through. You should be able to run your finger over the wire.Step #3Twist your wrist away from you while wrapping the wire around the pliers. Go as far as your wrist will twist. Then readjust the wire in the pliers and complete the loop.Step #4 Hold the loop you made in chain nose pliers. Then start spiraling around the original loop you made by pushing the wire up, readjusting and pushing up again.I like to go around twice.Step #5Using chain nose pliers, bend the wire up so it's straight above the spiral.That's your headpin. Repeat for your second headpin.Step #6Now we'll make bead dangles with our headpins.*For a more detailed video tutorial on how to make a bead dangle, see ECT Episode 5.Slide a bead onto a headpin.Step #7 Hold the headpin just above the bead and wrap the wire toward you and then between the pliers and the bead.Straighten the loop so it's straight above the bead. You can do this either by rolling back with the round nose pliers while you still have them in the loop or by removing the round nose pliers and using chain nose pliers to straighten them.Step #8 Wrap the tail at least 2 to 3 times and trim off any excess wire.Make a second matching bead dangle. Set them aside.(In the photo I have the loop at the top perpendicular to the spiral. Actually for these to hang correctly, it should be the same as the spiral. You can fix this just by twisting the loop with your pliers.)Step #9Cut 2 pieces of 20 gauge half-hard wire to about 2".Step #10Loosely find the middle of the wire.Step #11Place your round nose pliers in the middle of the wire and bend it.Step #12 Bend the wire around one barrel of the pliers to create a loop.Step #13 Following the steps in step #2 and #3 make a loop on each end of the wire. When you are forming the loops, make sure the middle loop is facing you while you're wrapping.Repeat for the second wire.Step #14Optional step (the wire should hold its shape without this)Using a rawhide or nylon hammer, gently hammer the wire pieces.Step #15 Cut 4 pieces of chain about 1" each. It's less important of the length and more important that they are all equal.Step #16Attach 2 chains with a 4mm jump ring. And then attach the other two chains together with a 4mm jump ring.Step #17 Open the loops on the wire piece you created earlier. Add one end of each of the chain to each loop. (Open them like you would open a jump ring.)Repeat for the other earring.Step #18Add the bead dangle with a 4mm to the loop in the middle of the wire.Repeat for the other earring.Step #19Add an earring wire to each earring at the 4mm jump ring at the top.Customize these earrings: