Things You'll Need:
- Paper
- Pencil
- 1 pair of screw back earring attachments
- 22-gauge gold tone or silver wire
- 2 silver or gold tone head pins, 2 to 3 inches long
- Beads ranging from 2 mm to 10 mm wide
- Chain (optional)
- Jeweler's wire clippers
- Jeweler's pliers
- Jeweler's file
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Step 1
Sketch the earrings you want to make. Decide how far down you want them to dangle from the base of the earlobe. If you are featuring a large bead, keep the earring design simple. If you are featuring small and light beads, you can have a more intricate design that allows for more beading.
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Step 2
Test the weight of your featured beads. Clip piece of wire 2 inches long. Bend the wire in half. String the beads on this wire and twist about 1/2 inch above the beads. Thread the two wire ends through the loop on the screw back attachment, bend with pliers and close the loop in a loose twist. Attach screw back to your ear. Adjust the weight as needed by untwisting your loop that attaches the beads to the screw back, untwisting the loop that holds your beads in place, and removing some beads. Retwist the loops and test on your ear again.
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Step 3
Lay out your chosen beads on your work surface. Arrange the beads how you want them to appear on your finished earrings. String your bottom bead on a head pin. Bend the pin with your jeweler's pliers 1/4 inch from the top of the bead until it forms a loop. Coil the end of the pin around the wire below the loop three to four times. Cut the excess wire. File the cut end to remove sharp edges.
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Step 4
Cut a 3-inch piece of wire. File both ends of the wire to remove sharp edges. Thread one end of the wire through the loop on your bottom bead link. Bend the wire with your pliers 1/4 inch from the top of the bead until it forms a loop. Coil the end of the wire around the wire above the loop three to four times. Cut the excess wire. File the cut end to remove sharp edges. String on your second bead. Bend the wire with your jeweler's pliers 1/4 inch from the top of the bead until it forms a loop. Coil the end of the wire around the wire below the loop three to four times. Cut the excess wire. File the cut end to remove sharp edges.
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Step 5
Repeat Step 4 until you have strung your last bead. Bend the wire above your last bead and thread it through the loop on your screw back attachment. Close the loop with a coil and cut the excess wire. File the end. Repeat Step 1 through Step 5 with your other earring.
