How to Make Bead Spiral Earrings

Bend wire and add beads to make whimsical spiral earrings.

Making bead spiral earrings is a fun and simple project. Jewelry wire is twisted around a cylindrical object, and beads are added to cover the wire. The wire can be wrapped neatly, creating cylindrical or symmetrical spirals, or it can be layered or shaped into a cone depending on the object used as a mold. Styles can range from simple to fun or even elegant, depending on your personal preference or specific needs.

Things You'll Need

• 20-gauge jewelry wire
• Wire cutters
• Ring mandrel or other round object like a dowel
• Round-nosed pliers
• Earring findings
• Flat-nosed pliers
• Head pins
• Jump rings (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut two pieces of wire 5 inches long using wire cutters. Use silver or gold wire, or mix it up with one of the colored options offered at most craft stores.

2. Twist the wire around a ring mandrel or other cylindrical object.

3. Place round-nosed pliers on the tip of one end of the wire, and bend it in a circle to create a loop to attach the earring finding.

4. Open the loop on the earring finding with round-nosed pliers. Attach the wire using the loop you made in Step 3, and then close the loop on the finding with same pliers. If you can no longer get fully inside the loop with the round-nosed pliers, gently close the loop with flat-nosed pliers.

5. Add beads to the spirals from the other end. Most beads will fit on a 20-gauge wire, and you can position them as you wish. The spiral will hold the beads wherever you wish. Pinch and shape the spiral if you are having trouble getting the beads to stay put.

6. Make another loop at the bottom end of the spiral with your round-nosed pliers. Fully close the loop.

7. Thread a bead or two onto a head pin, bend the pin back flush with the bead, and create a loop with the round-nosed pliers -- just like the loop on the bottom and top of the spiral. You may have to cut the end of the pin if it is too long to make a small loop. Do not close this loop all the way.

8. Thread the loop through the closed loop on the bottom of the spiral, and close as you did when you attached the earring finding. Alternately, add the dangling beads to a jump ring and attach the jump ring to the loop on the bottom of the spiral. Open the jump ring by holding it with the flat-nosed pliers and twisting it open with the round-nosed pliers. Close it by twisting it back.

9. Add as many dangling beads as you like. This process can be ignored if you do not wish to dangle any beads off the ends of your spiral earrings.

References

• Wire Style: 50 Unique Jewelry Designs; Denise Peck; 2008

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish