Wire Sculpted Climbing Earrings

Wire Sculpted Climbing Earrings

Designed by Janne Etz © 2009

Skill Level: Beginner/All

Technique: Round wire

Enter the new rage of wire sculpted earrings. This relatively new method of making earrings that climb up the ear with wire is HOTTER than ever. Quick to make, just a little wire, a few beads, and you're in business.

Materials

Tools

Instructions

  1. Make a tiny loop at the end of one 4" length of wire.
    Wire Sculpted Climbing Earrings
    Wire Sculpted Climbing Earrings
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  2. Slide on one 3mm metal bead, then one 4mm gemstone bead, then another 3mm metal bead.
    Wire Sculpted Climbing Earrings
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  3. With chain nose pliers and thumbnail, bend the wire directly beneath the last 3mm bead, back towards the beads.
    Wire Sculpted Climbing Earrings
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  4. Move the chain nose pliers up from the bend about 1/8" and bend back down.
    Wire Sculpted Climbing Earrings
    Wire Sculpted Climbing Earrings
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  5. Slide on another 3mm metal bead, then one 6mm gemstone bead, then another 3mm metal bead.
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  6. Place the very tip of your round nose pliers directly under the last 3mm bead and wrap the wire around twice, very small and tight.
    Wire Sculpted Climbing Earrings
    Wire Sculpted Climbing Earrings
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  7. After the second coil around, without moving the pliers, bend the wire straight out away (perpendicular) from the beads.
    Wire Sculpted Climbing Earrings
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  8. Grab the wire that is now sticking out perpendicular, with your pliers directly up against the beads, and bend the wire up -- now parallel to the beads.
    Wire Sculpted Climbing Earrings
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  9. With one smooth movement of your thumb and thumbnail, curve the wire forward to follow the curve of the beads.
    Wire Sculpted Climbing Earrings
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  10. Trim the wire approximately 1/4" above the beads. (You won't need to trim it so far above the beads on a longer ear pin design.) File the end of the wire.
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  11. The back wire should be far enough away from the beads at the base of the ear pin for it to fit comfortably in the customer's ear. However, the wire should touch or cross the design at the top -- this tension is what holds the ear pin up.
    Tip: Always explain to your customer how to "recross" the wires so they can adjust the ear pins themselves if they happen to lose their tesion through normal manipulation of putting them on and taking them off.
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  12. I like this particular design because it gives the customer that multiple-perced look if they only have one hole in their ear (below, top), or it can be worn as an accent in a second hole (below, bottom).
    Wire Sculpted Climbing Earrings
    Wire Sculpted Climbing Earrings
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  13. You can obviously make this design longer, or embellish it with kinks or curls -- whatever your imagination can think of! I might point out that the reason for the "double-loop" at the bottom of the design is that it takes some of the pressure off when the customer repeatedly "pulls" on the back wire to put the ear pin on. I've found that if you just bend the wire directly over and up, it may eventually break.
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