MAKE ALMOST ANY CHARM OR BEAD INTO AN EARRING

Friends, followers…lend me your ears.

Hello reluctant crafters. Here’s something that”s fun to do and very rewarding, especially if you like receiving complements.

Being cheap, broke and clever, I’ve always been one to look at something and think, “I could make that!” So when it comes to keeping the inventory interesting in my booths at the antique mall, I make a variety of one-of-a-kind earrings priced from $20 a pair. This includes a mix of trendy styles as well as redesigned looks that utilize my vast collection of vintage charms, beads and broken pieces.

I like to tell customers almost any small charm can be made into an earring. In the past I’ve dangled cats, cars, angels, peace signs, crosses, ballet shoes, feathers, bullets, tennis rackets, lucky pennies and horses, as shown above. Besides being a nice way to personalize a piece of jewelry, it makes a thoughtful gift that’s also affordable.

Didn’t expect to be encouraged to make your own earrings today? Well you can always get someone else to do it. But trust me when I say it is super simple and quite rewarding.

To get started, all you need is a set of inexpensive jeweler’s tools available at any craft or hardware store like harborfreight.com. You’ll also need a few basic findings including a package of spring rings, a roll of wire and some headpins all at hobbylobby.com. With just a couple of twists of a ring the charm can be attached to the post, ear wire or clip-on top.

The pink balloon dogs shown were purchased in a thrift shop recently. I will replace the posts with euro wires and wear them to remember a recent visit to The Balloon Museum with some dear friends.

If you have earrings that have seen better days, or lost their mate, don’t pitch them. You can easily restyle for an updated look. Use your tools to deconstruct, pull out the pieces you like, and discard the rest (perhaps a bead is broken or discolored or the metal has tarnished). Get out your box of beads and add new ones. Then decide which ear wire or post finding you want to use. A world of options awaits at riogrande.com

Being able to whip up a pair of earrings eliminates the need to run around looking for something that matches your outfit. or other jewelry. When I make a necklace I always save two extra beads so the set is complete.

Sometimes the bead alone inspires the best ideas. The shape, color and time it was manufactured all come into play. The pieces mix, match and reveal new forms when they are all thrown in a bowl together. Or when at a loss for a new design, I’ll peruse sites like neimanmarcus.com and ylangylang.com for the latest upscale ear bobs.

While euro wire and hook wires are readily available to purchase, sometimes I like to make my own so I can use heavier charms in multiple layers. For the pair below, I took apart a broken silver bracelet and used two ornate segments as the centerpiece. I added a real pearl using gold head pins for the bottom dangle. I then made the ear wire from heavier 20 gauge sterling silver wire for balance.

If I haven’t lost you by now, I hope you won’t be put off by wire wrapping or other challenging techniques mentioned here. I will post instructions in a later blog. If you want to learn, you can definitely do it.

Let me know what else you think could be made into a cool style. Love to hear from you. I’m all ears.