We love making quickie earrings. We call them “five minute earrings” and these are the latest. We found the leaf connectors at a bead show and knew they’d be the star of the show.
Materials
4 ball head headpins, gold
2 Swarovski crystal bicones, jet hematite, 4mm
2 leaf branch connectors, gold, 15mmx11mm (Here are some terrific leaf connectors on Etsy.)
Tools
chain-nose pliers
round-nose pliers
wire cutters
Steps
1. Slide a bicone onto a headpin.
2. Grip the headpin wire just above the bicone with the round-nose pliers. Bend the wire over the pliers 90 degrees. Reposition the pliers, gripping the wire at the 90-degree bend. Grab the end of the wire with your fingers and wrap it around the pliers to make a partial loop, using the pliers like a mandrel. Slide the partial loop through the loop at the bottom of the leaf branch connector. Shift the pliers again and continue wrapping the wire around the pliers to close the loop.
3. Grasp the beaded headpin loop flat in the jaws of the chain-nose pliers. Grab the end of the wire with your fingers and wrap it twice around the neck of the headpin. Trim the end with the wire cutters.
4. Take another headpin and bend the wire at the ball end into a tiny loop using the small end of the round-nose pliers, sliding the top of the leaf branch connector into the loop before closing it.
5. Bend the wire end of the headpin over a Sharpie to form an earring hook. Trim the end with wire cutters. Bend the end slightly with chain-nose pliers.
6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 to make a second earring. Ta da!
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