Free Instructions: Winter Crystal Earrings

Make your own sparkling drop earrings, featuring frosted crackle glass beads that look like mini snowballs, and crystal AB Preciosa bicone beads, that look like sparkly icicles. A perfect mini project for beginners to jewellery making, or a simple project if you haven't got too much time! Make matching earring to use, or chose your own beads!

Materials Needed

2 x 10mm feature bead, we used frosted crackle glass ( GLVE1002 )

1 x Assembled Belcher Chain ( CHF18SP )

8 x head pins ( HPSP )

2 x eye pins ( EPSP ) OR tip - you can use the off cuts from your head pins

8 x 6mm Crystal AB Preciosa Bicone Beads ( CPB63020001 )

2 x Ear wires ( LBWSP )

Tools Required

1 pair of side cutters ( BEESC )

1 pair of chain nosed pliers ( BEECN )

1 pair of round nosed pliers ( BEERN )

Bead mat - not essential, but very handy! ( BMT2 )

Instructions:

1. Take one of your eye pins, thread one 10mm bead onto it, using side cutters trim the head pin so it's 8mm above the bead ( photo 1 )

2. Using flat nosed pliers, fold the headpin as close to the bead as possible, so it's at right angle ( photo 2 )

3. Using round nosed pliers, turn a neat loop ( photo 3 ) Put this to one side

4. Take 1 crystal bicone bead, thread onto a head pin, repeat steps 1-3 ( photo 4 )

5. Repeat steps 1-3 until you have 4 crystal dangles. Put these to one side

6. Take your chain, using side cutters cut 4 lengths of chain:

cut one length that's 5 links long,

one length that's 9 links long

one length that's 17 links long,

one length that's 13 links long,

one length that's 7 links long.

( photo 5 )

This is what we thought worked well, but do change accordingly; if you would rather longer or shorter earrings

7. Using chain nosed pliers, open the loop of one of your crystal dangles, and loop it onto the end link of one of your chain lengths, close the loop. Add one crystal to all of your other three lengths of chain ( photo 6 )

8. Take your 10mm glass bead, using chain nosed pliers, open up one of the loops, and loop the end link of all 4 lengths of chain onto it (the opposite end link to the crystals) close the loop ( photo 7 )

9. Using chain nosed pliers, open up the other link - to the link you opened in the previous step. Loop an ear wire on, then close the open loop. ( photo 8 )

10. Repeat all the above steps to create your matching earring