I have jewelry in all states of decay- plastic jewelry twisted around flaking metal chains, bangles bent out of shape (some of them look like dinosaurs!), and earrings found in forever alone pair-less corners. So I decided to take some old 24kt hollow hoops that were indented and make them into something that I would either be proud to give my mother as a grown adult, or wear to my own wedding!
Materials:
Hoops (can be old, new, or flaking color as long as they close securely, I used 24kt hollow hoops)
14kt gold dead soft 28gauge wire (I am not putting an amount of wire needed because depending on size and diameter of your hoops it will change. I used around 3 feet)
96 2mm-4mm Faceted Tourmaline beads(or any type of small beads you want) (I used 48 on each side)
Tools
round nose pliers
wire cutters
Skill level:
low to medium
Patience needed
Time:
depending on skill - 2 hours
*you might want to try this with craft store wire before shelling out for the more expensive silver and gold. It is worth it to practice and get a feel for keeping the tension on the hoops. Also, make sure you have time to get past the first stage of wrapping, or you might have to go through and re-tension the wire so it is not loose around the hoops.
Materials:
Hoops (can be old, new, or flaking color as long as they close securely, I used 24kt hollow hoops)
14kt gold dead soft 28gauge wire (I am not putting an amount of wire needed because depending on size and diameter of your hoops it will change. I used around 3 feet)
96 2mm-4mm Faceted Tourmaline beads(or any type of small beads you want) (I used 48 on each side)
Tools
round nose pliers
wire cutters
Skill level:
low to medium
Patience needed
Time:
depending on skill - 2 hours
*you might want to try this with craft store wire before shelling out for the more expensive silver and gold. It is worth it to practice and get a feel for keeping the tension on the hoops. Also, make sure you have time to get past the first stage of wrapping, or you might have to go through and re-tension the wire so it is not loose around the hoops.
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Signing UpStep 1: Wrapping the first layer
Step 1
Secure the end of the wire so that it does not unwind or loosen from the hoop.
I tried to get a close up, but my camera does not do macro well, so let me know if you have questions.
Also, I did not cut my wire - I had a 15 foot length, and I was unsure of how much I needed at first. Since the diameter and size of each earring is different you will want to start out with more than what you believe you will need. Also, if you run out of wire, use this first step below to add on a piece and keep wrapping.
I started at the back of the earring, I have a little "tail" of wire being held by my thumb in the first picture.
I put it near the side so it would not be seen. You do not want it on the inside because the inside is where you want to see the wrapping in the final earring. Go slowly. You don't want any large or "hard" kinks in the wire. Start the first loop and make sure it is not loose or it will fall off. This is one of the hardest steps and I practiced with 28 gauge wire from craft stores before doing this with my 14kt wire, so don't lose hope if it takes a few tries!
Once you have the first few loops on, keep going. I found that if I loop the wire around the hoop that the wire gets slightly turned and creates stress on the wire. So I started twisting the hoop around the wire. Hard, yes, but better for the wire.
Keep looping until you reach the very front of the hoop. Do not go onto any moving mechanisms as this will make it difficult, if not impossible for you to open/close the earring.
Secure the end of the wire so that it does not unwind or loosen from the hoop.
I tried to get a close up, but my camera does not do macro well, so let me know if you have questions.
Also, I did not cut my wire - I had a 15 foot length, and I was unsure of how much I needed at first. Since the diameter and size of each earring is different you will want to start out with more than what you believe you will need. Also, if you run out of wire, use this first step below to add on a piece and keep wrapping.
I started at the back of the earring, I have a little "tail" of wire being held by my thumb in the first picture.
I put it near the side so it would not be seen. You do not want it on the inside because the inside is where you want to see the wrapping in the final earring. Go slowly. You don't want any large or "hard" kinks in the wire. Start the first loop and make sure it is not loose or it will fall off. This is one of the hardest steps and I practiced with 28 gauge wire from craft stores before doing this with my 14kt wire, so don't lose hope if it takes a few tries!
Once you have the first few loops on, keep going. I found that if I loop the wire around the hoop that the wire gets slightly turned and creates stress on the wire. So I started twisting the hoop around the wire. Hard, yes, but better for the wire.
Keep looping until you reach the very front of the hoop. Do not go onto any moving mechanisms as this will make it difficult, if not impossible for you to open/close the earring.
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16
solmstea says:
Jun 14, 2011. 7:27 PMReplyGreat idea and great execution. Really nice! Are they very heavy?
4
rmwear (author) says:
Jun 15, 2011. 7:40 AMReply
Thank you! The hoops are not heavy. I think using the hollow hoops helps, but I also tried them on while wrapping the stones to make sure they wouldn't pull down on my ears.
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