Earrings, bracelets, necklaces ... I love to make them all. Swarovski crystal beads bring sparkling colors and visual texture to my jewelry designs. Czech Republic glass beads offer rich deep colors, with individual 2-tone Czech beads often possessing unique color shading within the clear glass of the bead. For warm colors, I like to make bracelets from the natural beauty of obsidian and jasper beads.

Natural Russian Amazonite gemstone and Swarovski Earrings

Natural (not dyed) Blue Lapis gemstone chips and Swarovski crystal 5301 bicones (Sapphire, Dark Sapphire and White Opal).

Material list per earring:

4mm Swarovski 5301 bicones beads (Sapphire, Dark Sapphire and White Opal)

Blue Lapis gemstone chips

Sterling Silver fishhook earrings

Clear plastic ear nuts

Short length of sterling silver figaro chain. Because the link of this figaro chain is small I used an open 3mm jump ring to connect the short chain to the ear wire.

Silver Plated 3mm jump ring

Silver plated round 2mm spacer beads

Two 2mm x 2mm sterling silver tube cut crimp spacers

Sterling Silver full hard wire gauge 22 for hoop

To put the earring together:

To keep the beads from falling off the wire as I work the design I work with one end of the wire not cut from the roll until I finish putting the beads on.

I like working with the full hard wire as it holds shape well, but like any soft silver or gold wire you need to work carefully so you do not introduce any sharp bends or twists in it.

I add my beads and then I decide at what length to cut the wire to give me the size hoop that I want. I cut the wire long enough that I have a bit of extra wire on each side. You need room for your fingers on the wire when you are doing the final work of pushing the two ends of wire together.

Be sure to have a crimp/spacer bead to both ends so you can bend the wire back like a bow tie.

Once I cut the wire free from the roll I slip a plastic earwire nut onto one of the free wire ends to keep the beads from falling off. If I am setting the earrings aside for a break I put the plastic earwires nuts onto both ends to keep the beads from falling off.

About an 1.5 inch from a wire end I use needle nose pliers to make the U-shape for the chain dangle. Be sure a crimp/spacer bead (for the wire bow tie) is on both sides of the U you created with the dangle chain between the two crimp/spacer beads.

On the wire end with the U-shape use needle nose pliers to make one side of the wire bow tie. Be careful not to smash the crimp/spacer bead as you work. You do not have to make the wire box tie more than a soft bend at this time. The wire on the other side of the U-shape will have the rest of the wire with the beads on the wire. Form the hoop by pushing that opposite wire end into each of the crimp/spacer beads being care not to catch the chain dangle with that wire.

To help grabbing that wire end I use a flat or needle nose plier to catch that wire end and help pull it through the spacer/crimp beads on both sides of the U-Shape. This is where I find I need that wire to be a good 1.5 inch of extra length so my fingers can guide and grab that wire as I make the hoop shape. This is where I usually take a break. I like to view the beads on the hoop at that time to be sure I like the design. To keep the beads from coming off I used the needle nose pliers to put a temp loop (like loop for an eyepin) on the wire end.

I often at this time make up the second hoop and wait to do the final work on the first hoop. When I get to this point with the second hoop I put the earrings on with the outfit I want to wear it with and make sure I like the bead colors and such. I also use this point to make sure I do not want the hoops to be smaller and such for that outfit. You may also determine you want the chain longer or shorter.

Once I like the look of the hoops I do the final work. On the wire end with the U-shape (for the dangle chain) I finish that side of the wire bow tie using the needle nose pliers to finish the small back-loop over top of the spacer/crimp bead being careful not to press/crimp the spacer/crimp bead.

Be careful finishing the other end of wire as this hoop will be like a spring as you pull the hoop smaller. I know as my husband came up behind me as I work a hoop the other morning just as I made a final snip and getting ready to do the second part of the bow tie. Without thinking I let go of the wire as I spoke with him and beads flew off the wire. So though it will waste some wire it is best to keep a loop of bent wire until you have the final bow tie completed. Again carefully bend (using the needle nose pliers) the wire end back into a loop. When that second bow tie loop is about completed you can snip off extra wire on that end. You should end with something that looks like tiny mouse ears on both side of the U-shape for the chain. If one of the bow ties is out of line I use a flat end plier to push it back to align with the U and the other part of the bow tie.

I save the extra wire from making these hoops and use that wire to make open jumprings.