These darling post earrings are made from two gauges of copper wire and crystal beads. Experiment with materials to make the design your own!

1. www.colettecollection.com
Please do not distribute, lend or copy. Do not mass produce. Please always give credit to the Teacher.
Copyrights 20012
Colette Kimon.

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Materials:
14 inch of 20gauge soft copper wire
13 inch of 26 gauge soft copper wire
2 ear nuts for the earrings
2 6mm beads
Tools:
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers
Flush wire cutters
A metal file
A polishing cloth
A 6 to 6.5mm mandrel: I am using a 6.5mm jump ring mandrel. You
can also use a wooden mandrel, an UN-sharpen round pencil or a
pen.
• A hammer and anvil

3. Step 1:
Use your polishing
cloth and run your 20
ga wire through to
straighten it. Position
your chain nose pliers
an inch from one end
and bend the wire at
a 90o angle.

4. Step 2:
Grab the angle with
the tip of your round
nose pliers. We are
going to start creating
a spiral that will be
the bottom of our
wire bezel for our
earrings.

5. Step 3:
Bring the longer end
of the wire around
the jaw of the pliers
to form a small loop.

6. Step 4:
You should have
something like this.

7. Step 5:
In this step, we will start
wrapping the small loop
we just created. We will
be wrapping the branches
of the spirals as we create
them because it is easier
to work this way, rather
than creating the whole
spiral and then wrapping.
Take your 13 inch of 26 ga
wire and slightly bend it
in the middle. Using the
bend as a starting point,
wrap one side of the
small loop 3 times.

8. Step 6:
With the other half of
the wire, wrap the
opposite side of the
small loop 3 times as
well.

9. Step 7:
Now we will continue
forming our spiral.
Grab the small loop
with your round nose
or chain nose pliers,
and bring the longer
end of the wire
around the inner loop
to create the turn of
the spiral

10. Step 8:
Your work should
look like this. Make
sure the different
rounds of the spirals
are not spread out
too far apart.

11. Step 9:
Now wrap the second
turn of the spiral 3
times on each side,
just like you did in
steps 5 and 6.

12. Step 10:
Now create the third
turn of the spiral like
you did in step 7.
Your work should
look like the one in
the picture.

13. Step 11:
Once again wrap the third
round 3 times on each
side. You should have
something similar to the
picture on the left. This is
the bottom of the
earrings. It should be
approximately the same
size in diameter than your
mandrel. If the base is too
big, use the tip of your
chain nose pliers to
GENTLY squeeze all the
branches of the spiral a
little bit closer together,
starting in the middle.

14. Step 12:
This step is a little bit tricky.
You need to position the
bottom of your mandrel on
top of the base, and then
bring the wire up against
the mandrel. Place your
index finger (dominant
hand) under the base of
the earrings and push it up
against the bottom of the
mandrel while your other
fingers hold the mandrel.
With your non dominant
hand, bring the wire
around the mandrel in a
slight upward motion, and
make a complete turn. We
are now building the sides
of our wire bezel.

15. Step 13:
You should have
something similar to
this.

16. Step 14:
Once again, we will
continue with the
wrapping, like we did
previously. Wrap the
newly creating
branch 3 times on
each side

17. Step 15:
Like you did on step
12, create the second
round of the bezel
wall using your
mandrel.

18. Step 16:
Wrap each side 3
times.

19. Step 17:
With your chain nose
pliers, grab the 20 ga
wire at about 2mm
from your last wraps
and bend the wire
across the middle top
of the bezel wall.

20. Step 18:
Take your 6mm bead
and slide it into the
20 ga wire and
position it inside the
bezel cup. If
necessary, slightly
press the bead down,
inside the bezel cup
so it is not sticking
out too much.

21. Step 19:
With the tip of your
chain nose pliers,
grab the 20 ga wire
very close to the
bead and bend the
wire straight down.
Trim it to 0.5 inch and
file the end with your
metal file.

22. Step 20:
Use your chain nose
pliers to create a small
loop with the wire you
just trimmed. Make
sure the loop is snug
against the bezel wall.
Trim the excess
wrapping wire and use
the tip of your chain
nose pliers to tuck the
ends. Put the post
portion of the earrings
on your anvil and
slightly hammer it to
harden the wire.

23. Step 21:
Cut 0.25 inch from the
post of the earrings. The
remaining length will be
then being 0.75inch. File
the end of the post with
your metal file to make is
really smooth.
Repeat to create the
other earring.
If you have a jewelry
tumbler, put your earrings
into the tumbler and
tumble for about an hour.
Not only this will make
the earrings shinier, it will
further harden the wire,
and the earrings posts will
be sturdier.