Easy Wire Earrings
Simple instructions to create a variety of stunning wire earrings. Add beads before bending the wire for color and depth. (Position beads on the wire as you are bending, especially with the triangle and square shapes.) Embellish designs with additional loops or swirls! Keep wire on spool as you are working to ensure paired earrings are the same size and wire waste is minimized.
Level: Easy
Materials
20-22g sterling wire, dead soft
Beads (optional)
Tools
Burr cup
Pliers
Flush wire cutters or jewelry saw
Chasing hammer and anvil (optional)
Loop Within A Loop Earrings
Using round-nosed pliers, create a medium open loop. Continuing to hold the wire in your pliers, loosely wrap additional loops around the center, creating an open swirl design. Using flush side of wire cutters or jewelry saw, cut wire from spool about half-way down the long side. Bend end up slightly about 1cm from end and use Burr Cup to smooth end. Repeat for second earring. Harden wire using chasing hammer and anvil if desired.
Drop Loop Earrings
Make Loop within a Loop earrings with this modification: make last bend go above the open loop and bend into an S shape.
Reverse Drop Loop Earrings
Make Loop within a Loop earrings with this modification: make last bend go above the open loop and bend into a hook above the swirls.
Clothes Hanger Earrings
Create a triangular shape, measuring equilateral sides of 2cm. (20-22g dead soft wire will bend easily using your fingers, use the edge of a metal ruler for extra leverage to make the angles if necessary.) At the top of the triangle, make a stem 1cm long that goes straight up from the triangle. Make one additional bend (slightly rounded, this will go through your piercing) so that the wire is now perpendicular with one side of the triangle. Cut wire from spool when this end is 2cm long, use Burr Cup to smooth end. Repeat for second earring. Harden if desired.
Thinking Inside The Box Earrings
Create a small square or rectangle using the edge of a ruler. When the "box" has four sides, continue making a larger box on the outside of the small box, continue until shape is desired size. Cut end of wire slightly behind back side of the box. Use Burr Cup to smooth end. Be sure to use plastic earring backers with this style or they will fall out!
