Making Beaded Earrings
Posted by Eri
If you have been making necklaces and bracelets for some time you may feel that it is time to start trying your hand at making bead earrings. They are not difficult to make, but there are a few things that you need to know and special findings that you need in order to make durable earrings that hang well and look great.
If you want to make earrings, it can be much easier if you use head pins. These are straight pieces of wire that end in a knob or flat piece. It is this end that keeps the pin from sliding right through the bead. If you are using beads with very large holes, you may want to use a head pin with a larger end on it. You can find very ornate head pins that have decorations on the end. There are head pins with open loops at the ends and ones that are also more plain and utilitarian. The ones you will choose are ultimately what will work best for the size of the hole and the style of the earrings.
When you are selecting your headpin, make sure that the shaft is long enough that it will be able to pass through all of the beads and still have enough to attach to the finding at the other end. Whether you are using a fish hook or a stud, you want to be able to attach it firmly and this can mean wrapping a fair bit of wire at the top.
If you are creating earrings, make sure that they hang well. You want to be careful about not bending the head pin or your earring will be crooked. This can make your earrings look amateurish and badly put together. Again, there should be enough wire passing through the beads that they are not pushed tightly together because this can make the earring look stiff and it will not hang properly.
Earrings can be symmetrical, which means that the beads are the same and assembled in the same order, on both earrings. Or, they can also be asymmetrical. They may use different beads or be assembled in a different order. If you do go with an asymmetrical look, you will need to balance making them look like it was intentional that they were put together differently, but similar enough that it is obvious that they are meant to be from the same pair.
Although the metal used on the head pin is not a huge consideration because it will be covered by beads, the metal used for the hook, post or wire that will go through your ear is something you need to be careful about. If you are making them for someone who has sensitivities to metal you will want to find out which metals they can wear. You want to pick high quality findings to use because the wire will touch the skin. The last thing you want is for the earrings you have made to cause any bad reactions.
Bead earrings can be fun and easy to make. Learning how to make them properly may take practice but it is well worth the effort.
If you are interested in learning how to make beaded earrings please check out the beading classes we offer here: How to Make Beaded Earrings
May 17th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
Eri, You are not going to believe this…with the skills that you are teaching me from other articles and videos, I was able to look at this image, read the posting and create a similar looking earring. I am not exactly sure if it is how you would have put it together but I amazed myself that I was able to come up with a creation with the crystals and pearls that pleased me. I experimented and made some crystal picots of 3′s and 4′s. I also played around with crystal size and color. Thanks so much for the inspiration!