Making jewelry is one of the easiest crafts I have attempted thus far, and looks by far the least crappy! Making earrings and necklaces is so easy, I will NEVER buy them again!
Jewelry that you made yourself is a wonderful Christmas gift for friends, mom’s and sisters. Stick with neutral coloured beads, like black and white, unless you are making something to match a specific outfit. Want to make is extra special? Almost every grandmother has old costume broaches that I’m sure they would love to see go to good use. Ask your best friends grandmother for a broach of hers that you can turn into a beautiful necklace for your friend!
Not crafty? You don’t need to be! I promise you this was really easy and the results are beautiful…even if they are not perfect. Here are my first attempts…not perfect, but pretty all the same!
Because I had never made anything, other then the occasional kids bracelet, I did have to purchase some supplies. I opted for a kit that contained rounded wire pliers, earring hooks, wire, crimp beads, head pins and black and silver beads. It was around $26 (plus I had a 40% off coupon from Michaels) and came with everything I needed to make 6 pairs of earrings and countless necklaces. I did find however that I needed more head pins and crimp beads.
Here is what you will need: (Note: I am totally making up some of these words)
Beading Wire: I like the Tiger Tail plastic kind, it is light weight and doesn’t dent.
Crimp Beads: These beads are used to hold other beads in place when you want spaces on the wire. I love using these, the necklaces look more modern and you save money only using several beads. You put a crimp bead on the wire and then squeeze it with needle nose pliers to keep it in place. Now slide on your bead or beads and then add other crimp bead.
Needle Nose Pliers and Round Tip Beading Pliers and Wire Cutters ( I use scissors lol)
Clam Shells: These are great for attaching wire to the clasp, especially if you are using multiple strands on one necklace.
Earring hooks
Head Pins: These are are pieces of wire about 1 inch long that have a round flat bottom that literally “stops” the beads from falling off.
Eye Pins: These look just like Head Pins only with a loop instead of a flat bottom
Connecting Loops: These little round circles open to attached strings and beads together.
Beads
I know this seems like a huge, expensive list, but I was able to make 6 sets of earring and matching necklaces for under $30. That is $5 a set! Not bad!
I made my sister-in-law a necklace using her Great-Grandmothers broach and earring set… Here’s a pic:
Here are some links for easy how to instructions! You may just want to make a few for yourself!
How to Instructions for Easy Chandelier Earrings
How to Video for SUPER easy Earrings
