Free Tutorial Easy Wire Wrapped Shell Earrings

Needed:

• Two, 4 inch pieces of 24g, soft, round, sterling silver wire.
• Two shell teardrop beads.
• Round nose pliers
• Wire cutters

Step1:

Get your round wires threaded through the bead hole until it is about even on both sides and the bead is center the wire.
Bend the wires up with your fingers while hanging on to the bead. bring the wires together and gently squeeze them until they meet.

Rub them out once or so to keep your wire neat and straight after you have them together. Work slowly and deliberately. These are quick, so an extra minute to straighten the wire makes a difference. This is 24 gauge SOFT wire and so bends quite easily. Keeping control over a pair of loose wires makes it more manageable when ready for the pliers. Rubbing the wire out once or twice keeps the tension in it and also 'stiffens' the wire just a bit. Keep that in mind and don't 'over rub' the wire or it becomes a springy mess.

Step 2:

Take your round nose pliers and clamp down on the wires with them as neat and straight as you can get them. The bead 'face' should be facing away from you and the 'side' of the bead should be 'up'. Holding the bead, turn your pliers toward you so that the loose ends bend 'up'. You are making an 'L' shape.

In this position, grab the loose ends with your fingers, letting go of the bead (you have it held by the pliers) and roll the wires around the top of the plier, looping it around and back toward you. You're making a loop around that plier side. See the next image.

After you have your loop, the 'neatest' way to keep it, is to keep the pliers in it. Adjust your grip here if needed and get that loop nice and snug against the pliers. Remember to always maintain 'control' over your wire. If it's feel loosy goosy in your grip, chill out and re-adjust yourself.

Step 3

Grab the loose ends with your free hand, again wires together and straight and loop around the intersection of wires. Make about three, snug loops going 'down' away from the pliers and toward the bead. Then do three loops back up toward the pliers, layering over the first. I like this affect when using very thing wire because it gives a nice 'substantial' silver top to the earring in a very simple way.

Do the second earring and enjoy!