Chandelier earrings are some of the most striking earrings in the jewelry world. Delicate and flowing, chandelier earrings get their name from the multiple drops that fall from a metal finding. When you are making your own jewelry, however, they can be particularly challenging. Once you've mastered some of the basic jewelry making techniques, creating chandelier earrings will become one of the most creative earring projects you can take on.
To make chandelier earrings, you'll need to gather the right materials and tools. You'll need two earring hooks and two chandelier findings. Many chandelier findings have anywhere from three to eight holes. You'll also need lots of little beads, such as seed pearls, small crystals and so forth. To give the chandelier earrings their distinctive movement, gather enough small eye pins for the job. An eye pins is a piece of jewelry wire with a small loop at one end, which allows for multiple eye pins to be hooked together so that each section moves independently. Finally, use small head pins for the lowest layer of beading.
To demonstrate how to make chandelier earrings, let's assume there are five holes from the chandelier finding and you'd like to make three layers of beads. First, put one small bead onto an eye pin. Bend the end of the eye pin into an almost-closed loop. Hook the loop onto one of the finding's holes, then press the loop closed with the pliers. Repeat with four more beads and eye pins. This is the first level of drop beads, with two more to go.
Decide how you want the second drop level of beads to look. You may want to go with the same beads, or use something complimentary in color, texture or shape. Thread the new bead onto an eye pin, then bend the top of the pin into a loop that is not quite closed. Attach the beaded pin to the eye pin hole from the first drop level. Pinch the loop closed with the pliers. Repeat this with the four other drops in the second level. For a dramatic effect, consider using varying lengths of eye pins on this level.
For the third drop level of beads, use head pins instead of eye pins. Head pins have a flat, nail-like end rather than a loop like the eye pins. This is a professional and pleasing way to finish off the drop layers of a chandelier earring. Now the decorative part of the chandelier earring is finished; repeat with the materials to create the other matching earring.
Once the decorative parts of the earring are assembled and you've determined they are symmetrical, its time to attach them to the ear hooks. Depending on the chandelier findings, you may or may not need a jump ring to attach them to the ear hooks. If you do, simply insert the jump ring (a small ring that attaches pieces of jewelry to each other) on the ear hook and insert the top of the chandelier finding. Press the jump ring closed with the pliers; repeat with the other earring.
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