Caged Bead Earrings

Learn how to use simple wirework to make an artsy pair of Caged Bead Earrings! We’ll show you how to make the Turquoise bead component, create the spirals on each side, and how to use the wire to cage the bead. It’s easy and looks dynamite!

We made a step by step video to show you how we like to cage a bead to make these earrings. There are other ways to cage a bead, but we think this is the easiest way and looks so artsy! Follow along with us in the video, then use the steps to make your own caged bead earrings.

Video How-to: Caged Bead Earrings

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How To Make Caged Bead Earrings

Materials

2 Round gemstone beads, Turquoise, 10mm
2 Spacer beads, copper, 2mm x 4mm
2 Nugget beads, 2mm
2 Earring wires, copper
22-Gauge wire, copper
2 Headpins, copper

Tools

Chain-nose pliers
Round-nose pliers
Wire cutters

Steps

1. Start by cutting a 10″ piece of copper wire. Find the center of the wire and make a wrapped loop following the steps below.

To do this, grasp the wire with round-nose pliers and bend the tail of the wire over the pliers 90 degrees.

Move the pliers to grip the wire just above the 90-degree turn. Grab the tail of the wire with your fingers and push it up and over the top jaw of the pliers to make a partial loop.

Reposition the pliers so the bottom jaw is in the partial loop and finish pulling the wire around the pliers to complete the loop.

Wrap the tail around the straight wire twice. Do not trim the wire yet!

2. Slide a Turquoise bead onto the straight wire, not the tail you wrapped around the loop.

3. Make a wrapped loop on the other side of the bead. Again, do not trim the end of the wire.

4. Create a spiral on either side of bead. To do this, grasp the loop on one side of the bead with the chain-nose pliers.

Wrap the end of the wire around the base of the wrapped loop against the bead three or four times to create a spiral. Leave enough wire uncoiled to reach across the bead and cage it.

5. Then continue wrapping and swirling the wire around the bead toward the other side to cage it.
6. Wrap the wire once around the wrapped loop and trim the end with the wire cutters. Use the same technique to cage the bead using the other end of the wire.

7. Make dangle by sliding a nugget bead and a spacer bead onto a headpin.

8. Make a wrapped loop in the headpin wire, sliding the loop through the bottom of the caged bead before closing it with two wraps. Trim the wire.

9. Open the earring wire using the chain-nose pliers and slide in the top loop of the caged bead. Close the earring wire loop.

10. Repeat to make a second earring.

Aren’t caged beads cool?! We love the way the swirling copper wire creates an artistic look. And they’re so much fun to make, too! Let us know if you try it. We love hearing from you!
Happy Crafting,
Jennifer & Kitty