Handmade Jewelry: Earrings

  

Buying Supplies
This can easily add up very quickly so I like to try to have a project in mind before I start dropping $$.  I am currently working in gold tone metal, but I think I may try gold fill in the future.  Here are the supplies I either already had or purchased for my project.   I already have a set of tools so there was no additional cost there, but wire cutters and shapers can be found at any craft/jewelry making store or even hardware store!

Designing & Executing

whew!  they match

working my way around the loop

I decided to go for something relatively simple without much wire bending.  I tend to design on the fly, as I go along--as a result I spend a good amount of time adjusting and undoing (i.e. ill fated alternating purple colored beads... looked clownish).  Earrings are always tricky when there is a lot of working or detail simply because the pair needs to match (or at least that is usually the goal).  I decided to go with alternative small blue faceted beads and gold tone seed beads, with a large droplet facet cut stone in a charcoal.  I didn't need to worry much about spacing as the beads occupied more or less the entire round.  The excess I used to connect to the hooks.

The finished product

Another Project
This time with tumbled green stones, gold tone wire, and small floral metal beads.  This look was achieved through lots of wire wrapping.