Jewellery making:Chandelier earrings

Swinging, shining, cascading earrings graced catwalks worldwide this season. To get the look for yourself scoop up a handful of crystal, silver and shell beads & start wielding your pliers….here's how

The ingredients in this yummy piece are top quality ; they include handmade Bali silver findings, freshwater pearls, swarovski crystals & carved abalone shell hearts. Classy component equals a classy finished look. Making these earrings is about forming chains of beads on pins and attaching them to chandelier links. Earring finished
Getting started

Getting started

Decide which components you want to use. Lay them out on a surface such as a bead mat where they won't all roll away.
You will need flat nosed pliers, round nosed pliers and cutters for this project. All these tools are available in our tools department

Start the first strand of beads

Start the first strand of beads

To begin thread a Crystal Swarovski bicone bead onto a headpin followed by a silver spacer, trim the pin to about 1cm, and form a loop with round nosed pliers.

...continue...

...continue...

Hang the finished charm onto an eyepin, just open the loop on the eyepin a tiny bit, thread it on and close the eyepin shut with your flat pliers. Pop the abalone heart & a silver spacer bead onto the eyepin as shown. Trim again and make another loop. Next you need to attach a silver link.

Attach the link

Attach the link

This is simple, open the loop you have just made and thread on the link........

...& close the loop.

...& close the loop.

..... with your flat nosed pliers.

Finish this strand..

Finish this strand..

....by adding another crystal on an eyepin.. Put a tiny silver bead at the top, trim the pin and make a loop with your round nosed pliers.

Make more strands

Make more strands

Continue to make your strands in the same way until you have the length you want. The picture on the right shows one of the strands at three different stages.


Ready to assemble

Ready to assemble



When you have finished you will have 2 central strands & 4 side strands with which to assemble your earrings.

Join it all up

Join it all up

Attach the strands to the chandelier fitting, We used a jump ring for the central strand and the end loops for the side strands to achieve the desired lengths at the bottom of the design. . .

...like this.

...like this.

Your finished connections should look like this.

The end...

The end...

Now attach the ear fitting, in this case a silver fish hook, using a small oval jump ring. Making a matching Necklace couldn't be simpler. Just suspend it from a chain or leather thong instead of an ear wire.

ready to wear

ready to wear