Wire Spiral, Pearl And Crystal Earrings

Dangle earrings

Posted by Heather G.

About

These earrings require approx. 12 inches of silver-plated beading wire (20 gauge/0.8mm), 2 silver plated head pins (with flat plate at the end, not ball), 2 silver-plated earring hooks, wire cutters, flat nose pliers, chain nose pliers, 2 pearls/large-ish feature beads, and 6 smaller beads in complimentary colours to your feature beads/pearls.

They consist of 5 sections: the earring hook, the large elliptical shape that acts as a sort of frame, the spiral S-shape piece that hangs independently, the small piece that connects the frame to the spiral, and the small piece at the bottom ending in a head pin.

Because the spiral is only connected at the top to the frame piece it swings around like mad, make sure the loops holding these bits together are very tight! This does make the earrings super-sparkly though which makes the earrings particularly eye-catching.

Probably not the easiest project to start with if you're new to wirework, but with a bit of practice at techniques like wrapped loops you soon pick it up :)

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You Will Need (8 things)

6 Czech Fire Polish Beads
2 Silver Head Pins
2 Dyed Freshwater Pearl
12 in 0.8mm Silver Plated Wire
Wire Cutters
Chain Nose Pliers
Flat Nose Pliers
2 Earring Hooks

Steps (16 steps, 60 minutes)

1

Cut a length of wire, about 6 inches. Place your chain nose pliers in the centre of the wire and swivel one end around the nose in a full circle, creating a sort of U-shape with a loop at the centre.
2

Make a loop in one of the ends.
3

Make a hook with the other end, hook it around the loop on the other end and wrap the excess wire tightly around to create a wrapped loop (if you're not sure what this is check out the tutorials on youtube - they explain much better than I ever could!)
4

You now have a piece looking like this.
5

Take the other 6 inch length of wire and form an open spiral. The easiest way to make it even is to use your chain nose pliers and starting at the very tip of the end start curling the wire, moving the pliers down the wire continuously.
6

When you have a spiral half an inch in diameter thread a pearl onto the free end and slide all the way to the point where the spiral ends. Then form a spiral on the other end in the opposite direction to make an S-shape with the pearl in the centre.

NB. Don't worry if you're left with too much or too little wire when you make the second spiral... you can coil or uncoil the spiral in order to make it even, or just cut the excess wire off if there's too much.
7

You'll then have a piece looking like this.
8

Take a head pin and thread a bead or crystal on. I've used Czech fire-polish beads in the same tones as the freshwater pearls, but you can use any beads or pearls in any colour you like.
9

Cut the head pin leaving just enough wire protruding after the bead to make a simple loop.
10

Make the loop, leaving it slightly open...
11

Then thread it onto the main earring piece (the end with the wrapped loop) and close the loop fully.
12

Take the excess bit of head pin wire you cut off previously. Make another simple loop keeping it slightly open, then thread on another bead. Leave enough wire protruding after the bead to make another simple loop. Cut off the excess.

You now have a bead enclosed by two loops.
13

Take your large spiral shape and attach the top end of it to the beaded piece. Close this loop.
14

With the other end of the beaded piece, connect to the main earring section, threading the enclosed loop onto the beaded piece and then closing the loop.

This is the main dangle section finished.
15

OPTIONAL: Take an earring hook, straighten out the loop at the bottom, take off the silver spacer bead that they put to separate the coil section from the loop. Replace with another bead to match the ones in the main earring. This isn't essential but gives a bit of extra sparkle.
16

Repeat the entire process again and you have a lovely pair of earrings!