Cats Eye

 

These are my favorite earrings! They're so fun to wear on the weekends or sleek enough to wear to the office. Definitely a must have!!

Length

a little less than 2-1/4" (55 mm)

Materials

4 mm round Pearls

10 mm glass beads - Light Purple or Green 
Silver/Gold/Antique Gold colored wire

Decorative Hoop with dangling Pearl

Length

a little less than 1.5" (35 mm)

Materials

4 mm round Pearls

10 mm round Silver Decorative Wire
Silver colored wire

Geometric Square with Decorative Crystal

Supplies: 

2 - 13 x 11 mm square glass beads 

2 - 4 mm crystals  

2 - 1" 20 guage antique gold colored copper wire

2 - 2" 20 guage antique gold colored copper wire (for hooks)

2 - 2" 20 guage antique gold colored copper wire (for beads)

Tools
Basic Tool Kit

Ring Mandrel or Sharpie marker (to create round bend for hooks)

Duration
30 minutes

Length: 2"

The Idea

To create the hook, take the 2" wire and create a loop at one end. Wrap the wire around a cylindrical object, something like a permanent marker for the round bend. 

Take about a 1" length wire and with chain nose pliers, bend over about 1/16" wire over itself to create a headpin. Thread the glass bead through and close with a wire loop. Create loop on both ends of the crystals with the 1" gold wire. Attach wired crystal to hook and attach the end of the crystal to the wired glass bead. Create matching earring.

Geometric Square with Decorative Wire

 

Supplies: 

2- 13 x 11 mm square glass beads 

2 - 10 mm decorative connecting wire

2 - 2" 20 guage antique gold colored copper wire (for hooks)

2 - 2" 20 guage antique gold colored copper wire (for beads)

Tools
Basic Tool Kit

Ring Mandrel or Sharpie marker (to create round bend for hooks)

Duration
30 minutes

Length: 1 1/2"

The Idea

To create the hook, take the 2" wire and create a loop at one end. Wrap the wire around a cylindrical object, something like a permanent marker for the round bend. 

Take about a 1" length wire and with chain nose pliers, bend over about 1/16" wire over itself to create a headpin. Thread the glass bead through and close with a wire loop. Attach wired bead decorative wire and attach that to the hook. Create matching earring.

Decorative Hoop with Pearl

Length:  1.5" (37 mm)

Materials

5 mm red crystal beads

15 mm silver decorative hoops
Silver colored wire

Cradle Rock

Length: a little over 2"

 Supplies: 

2 - 8 mm pink cube bead

4 - 4 mm silver spacer beads beads

2 - 2" 22 guage silver colored copper wire (for hooks)

2 - 4" 22 guage silver colored copper wire (for beads)

Tools
Basic Tool Kit

Ring Mandrel or Sharpie marker (to create round bend for hooks)

Duration
  30 minutes

The Idea

To create the hook, take the 2" wire and create a loop at one end. Wrap the wire around a cylindrical object, something like a permanent marker for the round bend. 

Find the center of the wire and bend into right angle. Thread spacer bead, cube bead followed by another spacer bead. With flat nose pliers bend wire. Close wires with wrapped loops and create simple loop with other end of wire. Attach to hook. Create matching earring.

Red Revolution

Length: 2"

 Supplies: 

2 - 18 x 13 mm flat oval bead

2 - gold jump beads

2 - 3" 22 guage gold colored copper wire (for hooks)

2 - 4" 22 guage gold colored copper wire (for beads)

Tools
Basic Tool Kit

Ring Mandrel or Sharpie marker (to create round bend for hooks)

Duration
15 minutes

The Idea

To create the hook, take the 2" wire and create a loop at one end. Wrap the wire around a cylindrical object, something like a permanent marker for the round bend. 

With a gold wire, create simple loop and continue rolling over the wire. Use flat nose pliers to hold wire parallel while rolling wire. Make 2-3 loops, insert bead and close loop with same rolling technique. Center decorative wire on bead. Attach hook and gem with jump bead. Create matching earring.

Gold Coin

 

Supplies:
2 - 30 mm gold round decorative discs

2 - 10 mm gold round decorative discs

4 - seed beeds

2 - 3" 20 guage gold colored copper wire 

2 - 2" 20 guage gold colored copper wire (for hooks)

2 - jump rings

Tools
Basic Tool Kit

Ring Mandrel or Sharpie Marker (to create round bend for hooks)

Duration
30 minutes

Length: 3"

The Idea

To create the hook, take the 2" wire and create a loop at one end. Wrap the gold wire around a cylindrical object, something like a Sharpie marker for the round bend. 

Take the 3" gold wire and create a wire wrapped loop. Thread the smaller disc and two seed beeds through the same wire and close with another wire wrapped loop. Attach the jump beads to the larger discs. Connect all three components. Create matching earring.

Violet Iris

Supplies: 

2- 8 x 15 mm fancy silver charms

2 - 6 mm purple round beads

2 - silver jump rings

4 - 2" 20 guage silver colored copper wire (for hooks and beads)

Tools
Basic Tool Kit

Ring Mandrel or Sharpie marker (to create round bend for hooks)

Duration
15 minutes

Length: 1 3/4"

The Idea

To create the hook, take the 2" wire and create a loop at one end. Wrap the wire around a cylindrical object, something like a permanent marker for the round bend. 

With silver wire, create simple loop and thread purple bead and close with simple loop. Attach charm and wired purple bead to jump ring. Attach the other end of the purple bead to a hook. Create matching earring.

Whirly White

 

Supplies:
2 - 3/4" white shell beads

2 - clear seed beads

2- 6" gold wire, 20 guage
2 - gold earring hooks

Tools
Basic Jewelry Tool Kit

Duration
30 minutes

Length: 2 1/2"

The Idea

Start by making the coils for the front of the large bead by wrapping the wire on the round nose pliers until you have your desired size of coil. Bend the end so that you can position it in front of the bead and you can insert the remaining wire through the large bead. Add the seed bead and close with a wire wrapped loop. Connect the earring hooks.

Crimson Clover

 

Supplies:
4 -10 mm round red glass beads

2 - 2 mm clear with gold foil glass seed beads

1 - 30" gold colored copper wire, cut into sections. see below

(2 - 6" gold colored copper wires, 20 guage; 6 - 3" gold colored copper wires, 20 guage)

Tools
Basic Tool Kit

Extra Chain Nose Pliers for wire wrapping

Duration
30 minutes

Length: 3"

The Idea

To make the leaflet: Determine the center of the 6" wire and with the chain nose pliers, make a bend on the halfway point. Fold the wire just until the two open ends meet. About 3/4" from the open ends of the wire, use chain nose pliers to make a bend, perpendicular to the other open end of the wire. Now you can wrap the wire to create something similar to the wire wrapped loop, but without the loop. Wrap the wire around 2-3 times. Cut the excess wire and tuck the ends in. Now you should have a one wire sticking out on the top. Insert one seed bead. Cut the wire down to about 1/4" from the bead and create a simple wire loop. Seperate the wires to your desired size of leaf. You can straighten out any kinks on the wire with nylon covered pliers so you doesn't mar the wire.

Add the beads: Start with bending back about 1" of the end of a 3" wire. Wrap the wire around one wire of the leaflet about 2-3 times. Add the red bead and close the wire on the same side wire.Wrap around about 2-3 times again. Repeat on the other wire. Experiment and place the beads anywhere you think looks good. Cut of excess wire and tuck the ends in.

Create hooks with the remaining wire. I used a wire-jig. If you don't have a wire-jig, you can certainly use something cylinder (marker, pen, etc.)

Tip:

This make take a few attempts to make something without any marring on the wire. Practice makes perfect!

Round About

Supplies:
2 - round glass beads

2 - 6" silver wire, 20 - 22 guage

Tools
Basic Tool Kit

Duration
15 minutes

Length: 2"

The Idea
About 1 1/2" from the end, wrap the silver wire around a smooth barreled object (a pen works great). Cross the ends of the wire and at the section where they intersect, bend the longer wire up 90 degrees with a chain nose pliers. Wrap the tail around the base and close it as if you were making a huge wire wrapped loop.

Straighten the remaining wire if needed and slide the bead to lay on top of the circle. Depending on how long you want your earring (I recommend about 1 - 1 1/2"), wrap the wire around a pen to create the "U" shape. Make sure it's perpendicular to the circle. Cut the remaining wire to your desired length and curl up the last 1/4". File to smooth away any rough edges on the wire. Repeat for other earring. 

Tip:

Round beads work better for this. You won't have to worry about them turning to the side.

Design Inspired by Sara Schwittek; Perfect Match - earring designs for every occasion 2008

Snow Balls

I love how simple these earrings are, yet versatile and classic. You can wear them with jeans or a nice evening dress. These earrings are one of my favorites.

Supplies:
2 - 5" 20-gauge silver wire
4 - 3 mm white pearls
2 - 10 mm clear or white round glass bead
2 - silver headpins

Tools
Round nose pliers
Flat nosed pliers
Flush wire cutters
Mandrel to make the rounds for the hooks

Duration
20 minutes

Length: 2.5"

The Idea
To create the dangle, thread the glass bead and pearl through a headpin and close with a wire wrapped loop. For the hook, begin with a wire wrapped loop. (Tip: Before you close the loop, insert the dangle! I've done this without inserting the dangle a few times and left with a nice wire wrapped loop. You can still use this for another project.) After you close the loop, insert another pearl. Bend the wire 90 degrees with your flat nosed pliers. Next, wrap the wire around a mandrel or something round to create the hook. Bend up the last 1/4" of the wire and cut the rest with your wire cutters. Repeat for the other earring.