As you look at some of the designs I thought of, you'll notice I'm leaving off the earring wire in these pictures, because I'm sure you've all seen those wires before and know exactly where they should go in these designs.

Delicate, spiraling swirls of sterling silver need equally delicate and precious beads to be their dangling counterparts. Hematite, with its shining, mirror-like finish seems to be the perfect match. Tiny 4mm hematite rounds are perfectly cool and smooth for summer. But with all of the extra loops on this earring, you could go for a wilder gypsy look and have tiny beads dangling almost anywhere you would like! The coil texture would also make it fun to experiment with stitching a few seed beads here and there.

Heavenly blue color and sky-inspired beads are a pretty combination for this base metal earring. Instead of using three of the same type of bead, try a little something different and use beads that match in theme and color rather than in shape and size. Another theme that might be pretty would be a fruit bead, a flower bead, and a butterfly bead, each in different colors. Of course, the design of the metal earring you choose will determine whether this kind of mixture will be technically feasible or not.

Using your creativity can make a world of difference, especially when you start out with a great choice. These sterling silver teardrop dangle in a dangle earrings are pretty enough to be worn alone, but they do have these convenient chandelier earring loops at the bottom, just waiting for sparkling beads! So, let's design these two silver teardrops two different ways.

First, take the sterling silver teardrop with the smaller inner dangle and the tiny textured coil wrap on the outer edge. These are long and pretty, and the teardrop shape is appealing -- so why not keep it in the beads you chose? A dark olive green tear looks lovely flanked by two smaller, lighter olivine drops. Tiny 3mm cream pearls provide a pretty transition between olive and silver. These colors are soft and subtle. They're elegant. They glow.

 

Next, let's try the slightly larger sterling silver teardrop with the larger inner dangle and the tiny, smooth coil wrap on the outer edge. This drop shape also dangles nicely, and you could go with teardrop-shaped beads again, but why not try something different? Maybe something a little more summery, something a little more red punch and cherry popsicles -- bright red 6mm Swarovski bicones might just do the trick. They're bright. They're bold. They shimmer. In the right light, they shoot out fiery sparkles, just like fireworks. Happy Fourth of July, everyone!