How to Make Studs Into Dangly Earrings

Earrings are a versatile adornment that can complement your clothing, enhance your facial features and add movement, sparkle and color to your day. They are available in a seemingly infinite variety of shapes and styles, and fashioned from materials as diverse as precious gemstones and vintage buttons. Easy to make, they are a popular craft project. It is not always necessary, however, to create a new pair of earrings from scratch. With a bit of time and the right supplies, you can modify an existing pair of stud earrings into earrings that dangle.

Things You'll Need

• One pair stud earrings
• 4 inches of 2mm metal chain
• 4 inches 22-gauge metal jewelry wire
• 2 beads
• Wire cutters
• Needle-nose pliers

Instructions

Making Studs into Dangly Earrings

1. Obtain metal chain, jewelry wire and beads from a jewelry or craft supply store. Choose chain and wire in the same color; it is generally available in silver, brass, copper and gold, as well as silver- and gold-plated metal. Select a pair of beads with holes running all the way through them.

2. Divide the 4-inch length of chain into a matching pair of 2-inch portions using wire cutters.

3. Cut the 4-inch length of jewelry wire into a matching pair of 2-inch portions using wire cutters.

4. Push one 2-inch portion of jewelry wire through the hole in one of your beads. Use needle-nose pliers to bend the wire at the bottom of the bead into a loop that is larger than the circumference of the bead's hole--this loop will prevent the bead from sliding off the wire.

5. Push the wire at the top of the bead through the bottom link of one 2-inch portion of chain. Use needle-nose pliers to bend the wire into a loop so that it is hooked onto the link of chain. Wind the wire around the base of the loop you have just created 3 times. Snip off the excess wire.

6. Remove the back from a stud earring and set it aside. Hold the stud earring in one hand. Pick up one 2-inch portion of the chain with your other hand.

7. Slide the top link of the chain onto the post of the stud earring. Push the chain link all the down the post so that it is pressed against the back of the stud. Now you have a bead suspended from two inches of chain dangling from the stud.

8. Repeat steps 4 through 7 to make the second earring.

9. Put the earrings on so that the chain dangles in front of your earlobe and behind the stud. Once the earrings are on, replace the earring backs tightly.

Tips & Warnings

• When you feel like reverting back to studs, simply slide the chains off of their posts and keep them in a safe place.

References

• Jewelry Making

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish