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Chandel-ears — Chandelier Earrings

Have you looked at a fashion or entertainment magazine in the last 2 months? Notice the earrings? Big, dripping, huge, dangly earrings! Wowsers! Chandeliers are back in style. Why not make some for yourself? Supplies Needed 2 large filigree beadcaps with lots of holes and openings. Earring wires - French wire or leverback earrings Teardrop or fringe beads with horizontal holes -2 different sizes. (or round beads if you prefer) 2mm round beads, metal 4mm round beads, metal interesting focal bead, 6 mm metal tubes, AKA"liquid silver," or bugle beads glittery faceted beads, 4mm bicones, i.e. Swarovski or Czech machine-cut fine silver coloured wire, 34 gauge sterling or silvertone headpin

For these particular earrings, I have used for each earring, 1 6x10mm Crystal droplet 6 4x6mm Crystal droplet 33 "liquid silver" 5mm tubes 8 4mm Swarovski Montana Blue bicones 8 4mm Swarovski Crystal AB bicones 1 6mm dark blue fiber-optic star bead 1 4mm sterling round 3 2mm sterling round 1 silvertone headpin 34 ga beading wire 1 filigree beadcap with 8 loops 1 silvertone French hook ear wire

But feel free to improvise with beads from your own stash. If you've been using beads for a while, you've probably accumulated a few beads "just because" - here's a chance to experiment. If you are new to beading, then you might want to pick up a bead mix - an assortment of different beads that you can sort through to find those special beads that will look just fabulous. Remember - beads never go bad!

Tools

• wire cutters
• round nose pliers
• chain nose pliers

There are lots of possibilities here for your own creativity, the key ingredient is finding the bead caps that you hang everything off. This one has 1 center hole - essential - and 8 loops. There are 8 additional holes you can also use if you are feeling adventurous and want to add a second layer.

Before you assemble your earring, take a minute to lay out your design. This lets you easily play with the placement of the colours, and move items around. Then, when you assemble the dangle parts of the earring, it is easier to keep track of what you need to make.

I made 2 longer dangles that are: Drop | tube | tube | 4mm Montana swarovski bicone | tube | 4 mm Crystal AB bicone | tube And 2 more longer dangles that are: Drop | tube | tube | 4mm Crystal AB swarovski bicone | tube | 4 mm Montana bicone | tube Essentially the same, but I reversed the crystal and the Montana beads. I did this to add variety and interest to the finished piece. (also see diagram above) NOTE: AB is short for Aurora Borealis and is the glittery coating on many beads that has an iridescent play of colours like you see on a soap bubble. Montana is short for Montana Sapphire, and is the dark, smoky, navy blue colour. It is named for the colour of sapphires that are mined in Montana Next, I made the shorter dangles. I made 4 that are: Drop | tube | 4mm Montana bicone | tube | 4 mm Crystal AB bicone | tube

When calculating the length of the finished earring, remember to allow for the earring wire, which adds considerable length to the finished design. These particular earrings are 2 inches from the bottom of the ear wire, but measuring from the top of the ear wire makes them about 3 inches long.

When you think you have the design worked out, start by assembling the center dangle.

• Cut the head off a long head pin. (or, use a piece of plain wire)
• Using your chain nose pliers, bend a slight angle, and then a ninety degree angle, about ½ to ¾ of an inch from the end you just cut.
• Add your drop bead, and bend the end of the wire up into a triangle to hold the bead in place.

• slide on a tube bead, a 2 mm round, your 6mm "focal" bead - I used a Fiber-optic star bead, and another tube, a 2 mm round, and a tube, and a 2 mm round.

This will be your center hanging decoration - but don't put it into the bead cap just yet. Put it aside and we will come back to it.

Cut 8 pieces of your fine wire, about 6 - 8 inches in length. (If your bead cap has 8 loops that is! Adjust as necessary.) Now make all your dangles. It is easier to make them all at once, and then attach them to the bead cap.

Now you are ready to assemble the earring

Working around the outside loops, take your wired dangles, poke the doubled wire through the loop in the filigree, and fold it back down and twist it back around itself. Trim off the excess wire close to the top bead with wire cutters - or old scissors. Be careful not to cut through the main wire though! If you do - you will have to cut off the bits of wire and restring that dangle. Scissors work nicely for cutting wire this fine, but you won't want to be cutting anything delicate with them afterwards!

Work your way around the bead cap, alternating long and short dangles. You may find it easiest to twist the wire by holding the dangle you are working on in your left hand and twisting the bead cap with the right. Try and keep the twists about the same length, — but don't worry about it if they are a little different.

Now you are ready to add the center dangle, which supports the earring and attaches it to the ear wire. Thread the center dangle through the center hole, making sure the the top bead is big enough that the bead cap does not fall down. If it isn't big enough, you may have to replace it with a 4 mm bead.

Add the bead cap, and a 4 mm metal bead. Now, take your round nose pliers, and form a simple loop at the top of the headpin.

Creating a Simple Loop Thread a few beads on a headpin and create a simple loop with a few twists of your wrist. You want the finished loop to be centred over the wire. This is much stronger than a “P”-shaped loop, which can pull out very easily. Use roundnose pliers and: Bend the wire to a 90° angle, making the bend close to the end bead
Cut off the wire, at about 1/2 inch from the end bead. With practice, you won’t have to measure, but you can make it easy at first by marking 1/2 on your index finger.
Grab the end of the wire, with the end between the jaws of the round nose pliers and not protruding (sometimes you slip off, that’s OK, just try again. It means you are in the right place!)
Roll your wrist away, making a nice smooth loop. Don’t force your wrist all the way over, just make a partial loop.
Take the pliers out of the half-formed loop, reposition them again back at the start of the loop, and roll again to finish the loop. If the loop is leaning to one side, straighten it up with the pliers. With practice, this will become effortless.

Open the loop on the ear wire by twisting the loop open to the side, using your pliers. Slide the loop of the earring on, and twist it back closed.

That's it - now make the other earring the same way!

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