How to Make a Hoop Metal Earring

Hoop earrings bring attention to the head and face.

Crafting your own metal hoop earrings is a wise way to spice up your sense of fashion without breaking the bank. The trick to making hoop earrings that are both stylish and safe is to form the metal shape and then sterilize the hoop before sliding it through your pierced ear. Once complete, you can also add beads or polish to the hoop to boost the aesthetic appeal of your new ear wear.

Things You'll Need

• 18-gauge wire
• Round nose pliers
• 3-inch-wide PVC pipe
• Steel bench block
• Ball peen hammer
• Pot
• Tongs
• Clean dish towel
• Metal polish
• Clean rag

Instructions

1. Snip two individual pieces of wire to 7 inches in length with the pliers.

2. Hold one piece of wire. Place the pliers perpendicular to the wire. Grasp the tip of the wire with the end of the pliers. Roll the wire back 360 degrees to form a small loop. This loop will be used as a hooking point for the post--the opposite end of the earring--in later steps.

3. Repeat the previous step for the second wire.

4. Stand the PVC pipe on its end on a smooth, flat surface. Place one of the wires against the body of the pipe. Press and wrap the wire around the pipe to form the hoop shape.

5. Repeat the previous step for the second wire.

6. Place one hoop onto the bench block. Gently hammer flat the bottom two-thirds of each hoop with a ball peen hammer. Repeat for the second hoop. Hammering solidifies the hoop shape.

7. Hold one hoop so the loop made in step two is at the top. Clasp the loop on hoop one with your pliers. Twist the the loop upwards until the loop is perpendicular with the hoop. Repeat for the second hoop.

8. Bend the free end of the first hoop--the post--up to a 45-degree angle. Repeat for the second hoop. The posts will now slide through the loops and latch.

9. Boil a small pot of water to sterilize the earrings. Add the earrings to the water. Continue boiling for 15 minutes. Remove the earrings from the water with metal tongs and place them onto a clean dish towel to cool. Turn off the heat. Allow one hour for the earrings to dry and cool.

10. Polish the earrings with metal polish and a clean rag. Add beads or jewels to the earrings, if you desire.

References

• Hodge Podgerie: Hoop Earring Tutorial
• Ohio State University: How to Sterilize Equipment