How to Change Clip-on Earrings

Turn classic jewelry into modern art

Everything old is new again -- and that goes for jewelry too! You can easily expand your fashion accessory collection by changing older clip-on earrings into a modern, pierced style. You will find hidden treasure at thrift-stores, estate sales and in your grandma's jewelry box, and you can recycle the old clip-ons to create more up-to-date-style earrings. Often, older jewelry is made of higher-quality material and if cleverly adapted can be valuable as well as attractive.

Things You'll Need

• A pair of clip-on earrings A small pair of needle-nose pliers used for eye-glasses or jewelry Pierced earring clips

Instructions

1. 

   Find a pair of clip-on earrings that you really like but need to adapt to a pierced style. Search through thrift stores, garage sales and estate sales, or ask an older female relative who probably has a collection in a box somewhere.

2. 

   You need a pair of small, needle-nose pliers for this delicate job. First, take one of the clip-on earrings in one hand and the pliers in the other. Look closely at the point at which the clip-on part of the earring connects to the main part of the earring. There will generally be a line where the metal breaks and can be opened up with pliers. Carefully bend this open with your pliers, and remove the clip-on post.

3. 

   Now that you have removed the old clip-on post, open the connecting piece of the new pierced post. Do this gently in the same manner that you opened the clip-on post.

4. 

   Take the main body of the former clip-on earring and attach it to the new, pierced post at the same place where the old clip-on post was removed.

5. 

   Now that you have the body of the earring hooked to the new pierced post, take your pliers and very delicately close the metal opening, making the closure as tight and even as possible.

   Repeat the process with the second earring.

Tips & Warnings

• You can often find clip-on earrings for free or in bargain bins, because no one wants them anymore. Remember to ask your older friends and relatives if they have any they don't want.

• Older earrings are often very delicate, so be extremely gentle when adding and removing hardware, because they can easily be broken.