How to make dangle jangle earrings

Making your own earrings is a really great way to express your inner style. If you’re anything like me, having the courage to be your most elaborate self can be tricky. This is why I like to indulge in alternative jewellery and especially earrings as they are so easy (and cheap) to make.

The earrings that I’m going to show you how to make in this blog are super easy, super cheap and satisfyingly creative.

Stuff you’ll need:

•                    Wire cutters

•                    Round nose pliers

•                    Earring findings

•                    Wire pins

•                    A selection of small beads (1mm,2mm or 3mm is fine)

•                    Metal file

I’ve chosen a selection of acrylic beads in lemon and lime colours. They’re not fancy, but when you put them together they look really pretty. Feel free to use any colours that you like; I prefer use beads that have the same tone and texture, but whatever floats your boat is fine.

Step 1:

First things first, you’ll need three wire pins to put your beads on. Play with different combinations until you get a set that appeals to you and then make a matching pair. I’ve made three pairs with between three and five beads on each so that they hang more evenly next to each other.

Step 2:

Each pin now needs to be cut to the same length so that it hangs to the same point. Don’t worry if you have lots of the wire pin still showing, just make sure that you have at least 1cm of space at the top to make the loop. You might find that the ends of the pins are a bit rough, so use the metal file to smooth the end (I tend to steal Mr’s hobby file for this).

Step 3:

Now we need to make a loop at the end of each pin to attach to the earring finding. To do this you need to grip the end of the wire pin with the round ended pliers, almost at the tip and then roll the pin down your thumb, creating a loop. Gently roll the base of the loop backwards until the loop is central to the pin. And finally softly squeeze the loop closed.

Step 4:

The final step is to place each pin onto the earring finding. Before you close the loop on the finding, lift your earring up to check that you are happy with how the pins are hanging. You can always re-order the pins to change the look; just make sure that both pairs match.

So there you have it; a new pair of completely unique baubles for your ears. Have fun playing around with different combinations and let me know what you think of these.