I was looking for a pair of wire earrings for Mo’s sensitive ears and kept finding ones that I really liked, with a price tag that I wasn’t so crazy about. So, I set out to make my own. I’ve made all sorts of jewelry over the years, so had a few designs in mind. But, the design I liked best turned out to be this very simple wire with a few beads and what I call a “long tail.” This style with the long back seems to be kind of trendy so I decided to try to make them myself. They were super easy to make and turned out really pretty.

In my first experiment, I purchased some 2″ long silver plated headpins at the local craft store. I had a few beads at home – bead sales are SO hard to resist, so I tend to stockpile them… I added the beads to the wire and bent it around a sharpie marker. These were pretty and a nice prototype, but the back portion wasn’t as long as I wanted. So, I found some 3″ inch long, 21 gauge, sterling silver head pins at Fire Mountain Gems. These turned out to be the perfect length for the wire earrings that I had in mind.

The headpins already had a ball on the end, so I just added a couple of additional beads to get the look I wanted. Now, I don’t know if there is a “proper” way to bead – I just look at what I like and try to replicate it. So, for this pair, I added the green teardrop and another silver bead on top.

Next, holding the bead close to the marker, I wrapped the wire around the sharpie marker. Just hold the wire close to the marker so that it wraps around it tightly.

Repeat the process for the other side.

The only thing that I am a little concerned with is that little silver bead can make it over the loop part, so I am going to pick up some little rubber stoppers that would go behind the ear. This will keep the bead from coming off when not being worn as well. I tried to bend it a little to keep it from moving, but was afraid it would change the shape too much. The larger beads don’t make it over the loop, and I like that better, but also like the look of the small ones too, so we’ll see how that goes over time, once they are worn. I also found some really pretty swarovski crystals (the clear and dark blue ones in picture at the top) that do not move over the loop and are really pretty. These are probably my favorite pair.

I also made some little sheer bags for the earrings to go into. These are great when giving as gifts.

Now Mo will have a nice selection of sterling earrings for her sensitive ears. Since I was able to make 5 pairs for the same amount that 1 pair in the store would cost, I’m pretty excited about how this project turned out! 🙂

The video below shows step by step how to make these wire earrings.