Gemstone-Dangle Wired Hoop Earrings

This tutorial combines a couple of my all-time favourite techniques – dangles, and wired hoop earrings! Just like almost all of our designs, it is very versatile in that you could use any large-ish feature bead in the centre, with any small (4mm to 7mm) beads as the dangles.

• 2x Feature Bead 10mm – 15mm wide. We’ve used a faceted Amazonite Nugget bead.
• 12x Gemstone Chip Beads. We’ve used Rhodonite Chips.
• 12x 4mm Round or Bicone Crystal Bead. We’ve used 4mm Round Clear AB crystals.
• 12x 5-7mm freshwater pearls. We’ve used 6-7mm lilac nugget pearls
• 18 gauge artistic wire
• Short (22-26mm) ball heapins

Cut a piece of 18 gauge wire to approximately 11cm. Form a small loop at one end using your round nose pliers.

Time to make the dangles! We have made 12 of each dangle type. We have used the coil technique for making these dangles, which is a very easy way of creating dangles that are secure and can not fall of your design. In this technique, you simply coil the headpin around you round noose pliers. You need to use relatively short headpins (about 25mm) and you’ll wrap about 2-4 times. After you have made the dangles thread 9 of them onto the wire, then the feature bead, and then another 9 dangles. Form another small loop at the other end of your wire.

Normally we would use a round mandrel (or object) to make the shape of hoop earrings. However, as we have a large feature bead in the middle using a mandrel would not work! Instead, use your fingers to shape the hoop.

Using your flat nose pliers, bend the the loops so that they are facing up-right.

Cut another piece of 18 gauge wire approx. 3cm long. Make a small loop in one end using your round nose pliers. Using your fingers, or a round object, form a slight hump in the wire. Then, use your flat nose pliers to create the ‘flick’. Refer to photo for shape!

Open up one of the loops on the hoop and attach the lever. Close the loop using your pliers.

The lever will probably be a little long for the hoop, so trim it back leaving about 3mm to hook into the loop on the earring. Close the lever to check there is good tension on the earring (so it won’t come undone). If the tension is not sufficient, use your fingers to reshape the hoop a little. You may wish to use a wire rounder on the cut end of lever so that it is nice and smooth when putting on the earrings. And you’re done!