I saw these earrings and thought I could do a variation of that no problem. Took a few tries to figure out what I wanted mine to look like, but they came out looking very nice.
Supplies:
*Black Hex gems (about 25)
*Round semi black gems (about 15)
*Black tear drop gems (I used 4)
*bead wire (.45mm in dark silver)
*Flexible black wire
*Earring 'type' (2) (best to use hook earrings)
*Silver jump rings- large (2)
*Black link chain (in two different lengths)
*needle nose pliers
*round nose pliers
*wire cutters
*Measuring tape
*Tip 1- Plan It Out* As with all jewelry designs I laid out the design on my bead board before I started doing anything. Had to try out different style gem stones to see which one matched best, as I did not buy any of the beads at the same time.
*Tip 2- Measure* Always measure for each project to make sure the lengths that fit best are correct. This is important when making items for other people. Once you have done them enough times you will know the required lengths and can skip this step.
*Tip 3- Tight Loops* Try and keep the loop as tight as possible to keep from having a big gap. This can be done by holding one end of the bead wire with a needle nose pliers and then taking the other end of the wire and pulling it tighter.
*Tip 4 - Consider Material and Purpose* You must always be aware of the type of give and strength your supplies have or you could end up with breaks, scrapping, and no flexibility. The heavier the wire the less bend and flexibility it has. String the beads too tightly together and some will rub together and break. String them too tightly and the beads will bunch and not bend well around your wrist. Some times you need to allow for "give room" with bracelets in order to get the bracelet to wrap. (or in this case the earring loop)
Steps:
-Measure out the length of bead wire you will need to create the hoops. Will need to measure both out at the same time. Use wire cutters to cut correct length.
-Use the round nose pliers to create an eye loop on one end of the wire. Use the wire cutters to clip the extra bit of wire left. (if any)
-Thread on the gems in the order of the design you picked ahead of time (see *Tip 1*). (Mine was round gem and then hex gem the whole way)
-Continue this until you have the length you determined earlier. (see *Tip 2*)
-Repeat second step for other side of the wire. Be sure the wire can be formed into a circle with out the gems rubbing too tightly before you make the eye loop. (see *Tip 4*) Use the wire cutters to clip the extra bit of wire left (be sure to note how much you have taken off so you can repeat this for the other earring)
-Set this length of wire aside for now.
-Repeat steps 2 through 5 for other earring.
-Take the flexible black wire and cut 8 sections, no determined length for any of them.
-Slide a tear drop gem of one section of wire. Use the round nose pliers to create an eye loop and then wrap the extra wire around the bottom of the eye loop. (not around the top of the tear drop)
-Repeat the last step 7 more times. Then set aside.
-Take one of the lengths of black chain and then use the needle nose pliers to open the last link of the chain. Slide one of the tear drop eye loops onto that link. Use the needle nose pliers to close that link.
-Repeat the last step for the remaining lengths of chain.
-Use the needle nose pliers to open one of the large jump rings.
-Take the length of wire that you made to create the loop and slide one eye loops onto the jump ring. Then attach one end of the shorter lengths of chain (the end that obviously doesn't have the tear drop), then slide on both lengths of the longer chains, then the end of the remaining shorter chain, and finally the other eye loop from the wire. Use the needle nose pliers to close the jump ring. (This might be difficult to get all items onto the jump ring easily.)
-Repeat the last two steps for the other earring.
-Use the needle nose pliers to open the loop on the hook earring. Slide on the jump ring that is holding all the pieces together. Try to slide the loop from the earring into the middle of everything on the jump ring. (i.e. in between the two longer lengths of chain) Use the needle nose pliers to close the loop on the hook earring.
-Repeat the last step for the other earring.
That will finish off the earrings.
These ended up being a gift for a friend. They were fun to make and was one of the few things I really liked adapting.
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