How to Make Swingy, Sparkly New Year's Eve Earrings

December 28th, 2008 in other crafts, patterns & designs, jewelry making

Susan Beal, contributor

5 users recommend

These New Years Eve earrings are so easy to make and really fun to wear!

Join the bead to the bottom end of the chain with a wrapped loop, and join the earring wire to the top end of the chain with a jump ring (if necessary).

These New Year's Eve earrings are so easy to make and really fun to wear!

Photo: Susan Beal

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I love to make a new piece of jewelry for a special occasion, and a New Year's Eve party is a perfect excuse to whip up something sparkly! Choose two favorite beads to spotlight for this design—I used vintage beads rescued from broken jewelry, but anything you especially like would be perfect.

You'll need:

Pliers
Two eyepins or headpins
Two favorite beads
Two lengths of chain (mine were each 3 inches long; I used elongated gold chain for one and delicate silver cable chain for the other)
Earring wires of your choice
Two jump rings (if necessary to join the chain and earring wires; I used them for the black pair, which has more delicate chain, but didn't need them for the gold ones)

1. Place your beads on the eyepins (or headpins) and create a wrapped loop above each one to turn them into bead dangles. Be sure to slip the last link of each piece of chain onto each loop before completing the wrap by coiling the wire tail. Here's a video I made showing how to form a bead dangle if you'd like a quick 101 for this step!

2. Now join the other end of the chains to your earring wires, using jump rings if necessary. Close them securely.

3. Put them on and wear them out!

Note: I found my gold elongated chain at Dava Bead and both sets of earring wires and the silver chain at Fire Mountain Gems. My beads were saved from broken vintage costume jewelry, but you can use any new ones you like. If you like bigger, poppier beads, I'd recommend using lightweight acrylic, Lucite, or other materials instead of heavier glass or semiprecious.

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posted in: other crafts, patterns & designs, jewelry making

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Comments (2)

RoxiSoccerGirl writes: I like the idea, but what about earings for people who don't have their ears pearced?
Posted: 3:13 pm on June 1st

trusk4u writes: These are really fun earrings! They could really be worn anytime and with pretty much any outfit! Awesome!
Posted: 7:40 pm on January 2nd

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