Easy Lampwork Bead Earrings

To make these earrings all you need is a pair of needle nose pliers, lampwork beads, and ball head pins. The inspiration for these earrings came from a pair of similarly styled bead earrings my husband bought me a few years ago from an artisan market. I loved them so much I went back for another pair. They are very simple and easy enough to make that you can have a wide variety to go with any outfit. They're also classy enough for any occasion.

Step 1: BoM

Lampwork beads

Headpins, wire (common gauges are 20, 21, 22)

Pliers

Mandrel or wire jig w/pins

Earring backs (optional)

Jewelry glue (optional)

Step 2: Dangly Earrings

First, I recommend practicing shaping ear wires with some scrap wire before making final pieces. It just a good idea for getting the hang of working with wire. When you're ready, you want to select your beads and test them on the headpins to ensure they won't slip through.

You can free hand shaping wires, but I've found using a jig gives you a smoother curve. Choose one of the thicker pegs and wrap the wire around it until you have the desired shape, then grab a smaller peg and wrap the end of the wire going in the opposite direction to make a little tail. Trim as needed.

Step 3: Bead

When your earring is made, slip your bead(s) on. For a little extra security you can add a dab of jewelry glue/cement to the back of the bead and let dry. This is totally optional, I've yet to have a problem with a bead sliding off.

Step 4: Studs

For studs, you can simply bead your wire and then snip off the end (make sure the wire w/the bead is long enough to go through your ear and have a backing attached). For studs I definitely recommend securing the bead with cement/glue and using an ear backing.