How to Make Drop Earrings
Gather your materials., Lay out your bead design., Add your beads to each headpin., Bend the free end of the pin into a 90 degree angle., Create your loop., Trim away the excess and flatten the loop., Hang the earrings on the earwires of your choice.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Gather your materials.
For each earring, you will need a headpin, a French hook earwire (or other earwire or earpost), and an assortment of beads.
You will also need wire cutters, needle-nose pliers, and flat pliers.
You can use any combination of beads you like, as long as at least two can fit on a headpin.French hook earwires, also called earhooks, are the portion of the earring that is in direct contact with your ears.
As their name suggests, they consist of a large hook, which hangs from your ear.
On the opposite end of the large hook is a small circular loop (a "jump ring") used to attach the hook to the decorative portion of the earring.
Earwires are typically made of hypoallergenic metals that are resistant to corrosion and discoloration. -
Step 2: Lay out your bead design.
Before you "string" your beads, it's a good idea to plan your design first.
Start by placing a headpin on its side to keep its length in mind.
Next, organize beads in a straight line parallel to the headpin.Don't take up more that about two thirds of the headpin's length.
Swap beads around until you've found a pattern that works best.
Many drop earrings have a large dangling piece at the bottom.
Consider a string of small spacer beads on top of one big ornate one. , "String" your beads onto their headpin, starting with the bottom-most bead and ending at the top.You may find that the design doesn't quite "work" for you once actually on the pin.
At this stage, it's easy to simply remove and reorganize the beads as many times as you'd like. , Hold the pin just above the top button with the tip of either pair of pliers.
Use your thumb to press down on the free end of the headpin until it is completely horizontal in relation to the rest of the pin., Grip the headpin with your needle-nose pliers just above the bend.
Pull the wire down around your pliers.
Rotate your pliers slightly by turning your wrist clockwise.
Finish the loop by pulling the end of the wire back around to form a small circle. , If there is any excess wire at the end of the bent headpin, trim it away with your wire cutters.
The tail end of the loop should just touch the beginning without overlapping.
Squeeze the loop with your flat pliers so the entire loop is flat and level. , Because the loop you just made functions as a jump ring, you can attach your new earrings to any type of earwire or earpost you'd prefer.Simply use your needle-nose pliers to push down on the tail end of the jump ring to open it.
Hook the ring around the earwire's own jump ring or other attachment loop.
Close the jump ring by pushing up in the opposite direction to complete the loop. -
Step 3: Add your beads to each headpin.
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Step 4: Bend the free end of the pin into a 90 degree angle.
-
Step 5: Create your loop.
-
Step 6: Trim away the excess and flatten the loop.
-
Step 7: Hang the earrings on the earwires of your choice.
Detailed Guide
For each earring, you will need a headpin, a French hook earwire (or other earwire or earpost), and an assortment of beads.
You will also need wire cutters, needle-nose pliers, and flat pliers.
You can use any combination of beads you like, as long as at least two can fit on a headpin.French hook earwires, also called earhooks, are the portion of the earring that is in direct contact with your ears.
As their name suggests, they consist of a large hook, which hangs from your ear.
On the opposite end of the large hook is a small circular loop (a "jump ring") used to attach the hook to the decorative portion of the earring.
Earwires are typically made of hypoallergenic metals that are resistant to corrosion and discoloration.
Before you "string" your beads, it's a good idea to plan your design first.
Start by placing a headpin on its side to keep its length in mind.
Next, organize beads in a straight line parallel to the headpin.Don't take up more that about two thirds of the headpin's length.
Swap beads around until you've found a pattern that works best.
Many drop earrings have a large dangling piece at the bottom.
Consider a string of small spacer beads on top of one big ornate one. , "String" your beads onto their headpin, starting with the bottom-most bead and ending at the top.You may find that the design doesn't quite "work" for you once actually on the pin.
At this stage, it's easy to simply remove and reorganize the beads as many times as you'd like. , Hold the pin just above the top button with the tip of either pair of pliers.
Use your thumb to press down on the free end of the headpin until it is completely horizontal in relation to the rest of the pin., Grip the headpin with your needle-nose pliers just above the bend.
Pull the wire down around your pliers.
Rotate your pliers slightly by turning your wrist clockwise.
Finish the loop by pulling the end of the wire back around to form a small circle. , If there is any excess wire at the end of the bent headpin, trim it away with your wire cutters.
The tail end of the loop should just touch the beginning without overlapping.
Squeeze the loop with your flat pliers so the entire loop is flat and level. , Because the loop you just made functions as a jump ring, you can attach your new earrings to any type of earwire or earpost you'd prefer.Simply use your needle-nose pliers to push down on the tail end of the jump ring to open it.
Hook the ring around the earwire's own jump ring or other attachment loop.
Close the jump ring by pushing up in the opposite direction to complete the loop.
About the Author
Joshua Mendoza
Experienced content creator specializing in home improvement guides and tutorials.
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