Queen of Hearts Earrings Copyright Margot Potter
(Make sure you click on the pop up window of this image to read the text.)
Queen of Hearts Earrings
Copyright 2011 Margot Potter
Ah, Valentine’s Day. Love it or lump it, you can’t escape it! Love may come and love may go, but friends are forever. Why not remind your best girlfriend how much she means to you this year with a lovely pair of wire and crystal earrings and a funny card to make her smile? Attach the earrings to a card for a two for one by punching a small hole for each ear wire using a pin and threading them on the cover!
The image is from my personal ephemera collection, and I couldn’t resist adding a little text...
Materials
20 gauge annealed iron wire
6 8mm fuchsia SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS faceted rounds
Tools
10mm dowel
2 pairs chain nose pliers
Chain nose pliers
Memory wire shears
Chasing hammer
Bench block
Bench block pad
Spool of thread
1. Cut off a 5” segment of 20 gauge annealed iron wire with memory wire shears. Don’t use regular wire cutters, this wire will eat them up!
2. Use chain nose pliers to bend a sharp bend in the center (this is the pointed side of your heart.)
3. Round the wire ends into a heart shape, use something round to maintain the curve, an average sized spool of thread works nicely here!
4. Use round nose pliers to turn a small loop in both ends.
5. Use a small segment of wire to bind the loops together as in photo. I wrapped them three times, cut the excess wire and tucked the tail under with chain nose pliers.
6. Hammer the shapes flat using your chasing hammer and steel bench block.
7. Create matching ear wires bending a 1.5” segment of wire over a 10mm dowel. Turn a loop in one end and make a small curve in the other using round nose pliers.
8. Hammer front side of ear wires flat with chasing hammer and bench block.
9. Thread each crystal with 22 gauge gun metal wire, loop one end and coil the other.
10. Use the 10mm dowel to create two jump rings with the 20 gauge black wire. Hammer these flat using your chasing hammer and bench block.
11. Attach the ear wires to the top of each heart using chain nose pliers. (Attach them on opposite sides to create a left and a right earring.)
12. Attach the jump ring and dangles to the bottom of each heart using your chain nose pliers to open and secure the ring closed with tension.
4 comments:
These are neat Valentine's Day earrings. I like jewelry with cool black wire & sparkling crystals. Thanks for sharing your creativity! I've wanted annealed iron wire ever since I bought your awesome DVD set & you used it in "The Art of Making Earrings" -- where can I buy it?
Thanks Margot :)
Yes, I really like the matte finish of this wire. You can buy it at hardware stores, you'll just need to clean it and you may want to seal it with Rennaissance Wax if you're using it for ear wires. I got mine at Metalliferous, they're a great resource for wire and metal working supplies.
You are most welcome@
Cheers,
Rita
Love these earrings! Very bordello!
Great project as always Margot. I love the look of the matt wire. And thanks for the tip about sealing it for ear wires.
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