Wire and Bead Earring How-To | A Step-by-Step Wire Earring Tutorial
10. Jan, 2012 
19 Comments
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How-to submitted by: Art-Z Jewelry
These earrings all utilize the same basic design and are relatively easy to create. No complicated wire work skills are necessary. You can vary the number of beads, shapes, colors and patterns as you please. I recommend bead sizes no bigger than 6mm. The hole should be big enough to fit 20 gauge wire.
Supplies:
Two 6 1/4″ pieces of 20 gauge, round, soft wire for the frames
Two 14″ pieces of 24 gauge, round, soft wire for coiling
16 to 20 beads about 6mm size with holes large enough to fit 20 gauge wire
Wire nipper/cutter
Small nylon jaw pliers
Chasing hammer
Flat nose or chain nose pliers
Steel block
Mandrel, or other shaping tool for ear wires. A pencil or marker are fine
Needle file, emery board or cup burr for smoothing wire ends
Hold the 20 gauge wire in your non dominant hand and start wrapping a 14″ section of 24 gauge wire about 1/2″ from the end. Make approximately 14-16 wraps.
String a bead onto the 20 gauge wire
Go over the bead with the 24 gauge wire and wrap around the 20 gauge, down, around and back up.
String another bead onto the wire and repeat the previous step until you have seven or eight beads. Wrap the 24 gauge wire the same number of times as you did at the start
With your fingers, gently bend the whole piece into a “U” shape and trim the excess 24 gauge wire. Pinch it with your chain or flat nose pliers
Cross the frame wires to create a teardrop shape at the top
Wrap the smaller section of 20 gauge wire around the longer piece once. Cut it close to the longer section of wire and pinch it with your pliers
Straighten the long wire and place it on your steel block. Carefully and lightly hammer the wire section with no coils or beads on it to harden the ear wire
The wire will curve. With your nylon jaw pliers, straighten it
String a bead onto the wire
Bend the wire 90 degrees with your thumb just over the bead
With a mandrel, pencil, marker or other cylindrical shaped tool, curve the wire toward the front of the earring to create an open loop. Try to keep the small bend over the bead. This will hold it in place later.
Trim the wire to approximately 1 1/4″
With the flat nose pliers, bend about 1/4″ slightly outward at the tip of the wire
File the end of the ear wire with a small file, emery board, or cup burr to smooth it and remove any sharp edges
Your earring is finished. Make the other earring. They should look something like this. These have been oxidized with Liver of Sulfur. 
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About The Author
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Those are amazing ! Thanks for that great tutorial
Thank you Clementine!
Fabulous tutorial! These earrings are awesome!
Thanks MegansBeadedDesigns, they’re fun to make too.
Thank you for taking time and making this tutorial. I know what it takes to make them
it’s easy to make jewelry then make a nice tutorial with nice description. Thank you again
Great job on your tutorial mom & cool pictures!
Thank you Rita:) It’s not easy making something, stopping at each step, taking the photo, holding everything in place and focusing the camera.
Very nice and the pictures are well done. Thanks for sharing with all of us
Well done
I enjoyed reading this and your photos were perfect
Very pretty!
These are awesome!
Oh Wow! Thanks for sharing this tutorial! I will try and make some myself!
What a great tutorial! You make it look so easy, of course, this, like everything else takes practice, practice, practice before you reach that professional display.
These are really fun! Thank you for the tutorial.
Awesome tutorial, thank you so much I can’t wait to try this!
Yay, my first go at coiling or wire earrings. Great tutorial, thanks tons!
I love this ! Great idea!
Wow they are so beautifu, you’re such a genius creator! Have a lovely Day.
As a beginner I really appreciate the step by step instructions and of course the pictures are invaluable!