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Christmas Earrings

More Easy Earrings
Easy Christmas Earrings – Easy Christmas Money

[This is a follow up to my article Easy Money – Easy Earrings.]

Earrings sell very well. They are a high markup item and therefore quite profitable. I sell simple beaded earrings for $5 but plan to charge $8 for these Christmas motif lampwork bead earrings. The lampwork beads cost more and they’re very cute and unusual. They remind me of marzipan candy.

Materials for Earrings

• 2 Christmas motif lampwork beads
• 2 coordinating lampwork beads
• 2 ear wires (I use Argentium sterling silver for its non-tarnishing quality)
• 2 head pins long enough to go through the Christmas bead and form a loop at the top
• 2 2-inch eye pins
• Silver-tone seed beads
• Silver-tone 4mm round glass beads
• Wire cutters
• Round nose pliers
• Needle nose pliers

Earrings Assembly Directions

Lampwork beads tend to have rather large holes. If yours do, use a seed bead to make sure the lampwork bead doesn’t slip off the head pin.

Thread a seed bead, then Christmas bead on the head pin.

Make sure the lampwork bead is secure. If not, use a 4mm bead at the base to hold it.

Finish off the Christmas charm with the same type bead (seed or 4mm) at the top. Then use the round nose pliers to form a closing loop.

You will need about 1.5mm of wire to form the loop.

Cut the pin to the desired length if necessary. Hold both sides of the pin when you cut to keep the end from flying off and possibly hitting you in the eye.

Also you want to save the scrap end so that you can make the other earring exactly the same length.

Holding the beads tight against the bottom of the pin, bend the tip away from you to form an angle and hold the beads in place.

Take the round nose pliers and grasp the very end of the pin, positioning the tip at the circumference you want your loop to be.

Push the beaded wire away from you and around the pliers’ tip, forming the loop.

Before completely closing the loop, slip the loop of a 2-inch eye pin on.

Usually you’ll see such connecting loops formed into a perfect circle. For earrings, I prefer a tear drop shape.

To close the loop completely, wedge the tip into the hole of the topmost bead. This serves to secure the beads and eliminate any sliding.

Use the scrap from the first pin as a measure to make the second exactly the same length. Repeat the above steps for the second Christmas charm.

String your choice of beads on each eye pin. I used a 4mm round, lampwork, then another 4 mm round. Cut off excess wire and form closing loop as before, slipping the earwire onto the loop before closing completely.

[Tip: make sure to hang the earring so that its design will face front or away from the wearer’s head.]

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