I’m supposed to be baking. Or tempering chocolate. After all, it’s only a week to Christmas.
Instead, I’ve been consumed by an urge to create shiny things. Many years ago, I used to make a lot of Swarovski crystal jewellery. I used mostly vintage stones, worked onto either sterling silver or rolled gold findings. I haven’t really made anything over the past few years, but as we’ve discussed before, old enthusiasms don’t die, they just go on the backburner for a little while. So even though it’s nearly Christmas and you’re probably expecting a recipe for a baked treat, here’s a tutorial on making earrings instead. Just for fun!
I like to use 10mm Swarovski crystals for earrings – the red ones below are a colour called Siam. I’ve also used 6mm silver rondelles, 22 gauge sterling silver head pins, sterling silver earring hooks, and a small spacer crystal (Swarovski 5305 in 6mm clear).
Tools required: wire cutter, flat nosed pliers and round nosed pliers.
Stack the crystals onto the head pin. I placed the large crystal at the base, followed by the rondelle and then the clear crystal…
Using flat-nosed pliers, carefully bend the wire, leaving a gap of a few millimeters between the top of the crystal and the bend…
Using round nosed pliers, turn the top into a complete circle – with your fingers, bend the wire half way around the nose of the pliers, then readjust the pliers and complete the loop. This takes a bit of practice…
Grasping the loop with one set of pliers, use the other set to wrap the wire around the gap between the loop and the top bead…
Carefully trim off the tail…
Holding the loop in the round nosed pliers, carefully and gently tuck the end of the wire in with the flat nosed pliers…
Open the loop of the earring hooks by gently bending the wire to the side. Never open a loop by uncurling it, as it weakens the wire…
Slip in the finished earring, then close the hook loop back up again…
If all the wire wrapping sounds a bit ominous, here’s a much easier method. Thread the beads onto the head pin – this time I used vintage Swarovski green tourmaline in 10mm and 6mm, with a small sterling silver spacer between them…
Using flat nosed pliers, bend the wire over as close to the top bead as possible (be careful not to crack the stone)…
Trim the wire about 1cm away from the bend…
Using round nosed pliers, slowly turn the loop. The best way to do this is in two stages – bend the loop half way by twisting the pliers, then readjust them and bend it down to the base…
Open the loop by twisting slightly to the side…
Slip the earring onto the hook and then close the loop back up…
I personally prefer wrapped loops, but they take a bit of practice and the simple turned loops are really just as attractive…
How are your Christmas preparations going? I really have to start baking soon!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Good lord, woman, is there no end to your skills?! Gorgeous, gorgeous xmas jewelry.
I agree with lambsearandhoney- what a talent you are.
Ditto! Amazing indeed.
I don’t even know what tempering chocolate is :) This looks easier to me!
You are ever so clever, Celia. I love pretty shiny things!
Seems to me the Christmas Spirit has really entered your door with the holly green and ruby red! Methinks your post has put a warm smile on more faces than a recipe, great tho’ that would be! Silly me did not even know Swarovski crystals could be bought separately for such projects :) !
This is just what we need. You are a font of knowledge & I thank you. Just need to track down some Swarovzki topaz & I’ll be wearing these whilst dabbing Jaffa Cointreau Cream into glasses for guests.
These look wonderful. I’m not sure about before Christmas but it’s something fun & creative I’d like to investigate in the future.
We’re all prepared – just need to drive 6 hours north, and do a bit of fresh food shopping when we get there :)
These are absolutely beautiful…….this takes some serious talent.
Nice!!!
Very pretty and festive. Such varied talents you possess!
Wow. You truly are immensely talented. These are gorgeous and very festive!
I have been baking and baking. My knitting is sitting in a bowl waiting. The necklaces I was going to make are sitting in the bag from the craft store, waiting.
The grandson’s Christmas gifts have arrived in the mail and sit in their boxes, waiting. And I’m still baking. But I’ve made fruitcakes and baked quiches and frozen them to give away- made bread and bread and more bread- and tomorrow I am going to make some cookies and then quit baking.
Love your earrings- I hang my Christmas Angel (Swavorski style) on the tree and think warm Australian thoughts! <3
Is there anything you can’t do Celia?
You are so Awesome!!! :)
Beautiful – so talented !
Celia it’s great to have more than one passion!
You make jewelry, too, Celia! What else? Are you a brain surgeon on the weekends? A rocket scientist on weekday nights? Well, maybe not but you sure are Wonder Woman in my eye. One day you’ll have to share the secret of how you get 30 hours in every day? :)
You clever nimble fingered girl! I can shape a better loaf these days thanks to your pictorial instruction but I am a backward beginner when it comes to tools, I shall admire from afar.
They are so pretty!
Ohhhh they are so pretty, clever girl. And Merry Christmas to you & yours :)) xx
Oh Celia! I agree with ChgoJohn……YOU truly are inspirational! Thanks to you I now make the best pulled pork, greek yogurt, and helped me offer so many wonderful meals that my older kids love and send their thanks to you.xx
Ooh la la – these are gorgeous! We used to make them when I was a teenager (not with fabulous crystals like you though) when the fashion was to wear one stud on one side and a looooong earring on the other. How weird was that? Now today I’ll be using my pliers to jazz up my front door wreath so you’ve got me thinking I want to make earrings :)
Beautiful! Very very good idea!
Shiny and Christmassy. Perfect.
I had a (long past) phase of jewellry making, which came in very handy when we needed something to hang baubles from the stick Christmas tree as I still have a bag of earring hooks. Maybe when we unhook them from the tree I can wear them as earrings even if they don’t look as classy as yours.
There’s still loads of time for baking isn’t there?
Such delicate work Celia! I watched my friend make a necklace for me and it was like magic!
Beautiful! I think you should wear one red and one green and you’ll be perfectly attired for Christmas.
Celia – you are truly amazing, so creative but isn’t it lovely to be able to create something beautiful from raw materials – whether cooking, sewing, knitting whatever. I am so blessed to have found a new love recently in silverwork and am now making beautiful shiny things for my friends (and customers). I’ve included the link to my website above and hope you enjoy seeing some of my shiny things. All the best for a sparkly Christmas Celia!
I had no idea you could make these beautiful things Celia annd no idea that some would arrive on my doorstep tonight. I feel so lucky. Your enthusiasms really are very clever! x Thank you
Now who’s the clever girl!! >
Beautiful! I think Swarovski crystals are very elegant. There’s still lots of time for baking!
I will have to repeat what others said already – you are SO talented and in so many aspects of life! Truly an inspiration!
I lack the patience for this type of work, and my eyes are not that great anymore to work with very detailed stuff – so I marvel at your skill and the beauties you made!
(plus, I am addicted to earrings…)
Old enthusiasms go into my “failed crafts” cupboard ;). What lovely earrings and what a lovely person you are to share with us all how to make them. If I wasn’t such a lazy bollocks I would race straight out and make everyone errings for Christmas but alas, I am, so I won’t! Talking about swarovski, I saw a most interesting post on Facebook yesterday. I see you your gorgeous homemade Swarovski crystal earrings and raise you a Swarovski prosthetic leg!
http://fashioningtech.com/profiles/blogs/fashionable-prosthetics
Fabulous and festive! Thanks for the great demonstration, too! :)
I loved this tutorial and you are very clever. I see that as well as all the crystals and other things needed for the earrings, you also need some tools of trade. I was so blessed to receive a pair of your gorgeous earrings. It was such a lovely surprise and I’m very, very grateful. Thank you so much – they’ll be worn this Saturday night when I go out to a Carols event xx
Clever you. These look great, I must try.
Lovely Celia. You certainly are very talented☺💎
I’m wearing a pair of your earrings (old collection!) as I read this….:)
Celia, when I read your post I thought good on you for following the call of your creative spirit. It’s far too easy to ignore our creative promptings in our busy day to day lives. Thank you for sharing your talents.
So multi talented indeed Celia! Very lovely and gorgeous gifts too. I have to do a stack of baking next week before the big day, but I have made my pavlova bases, so that’s a start :) xox
Celia, I’m sort of all-thumbs with small things like that, but you make it look so easy. And I love that shade of red (siam). Just might have to give this a go!
Hi Celia, as soon as I saw this post I remembered the bead kit I purchased a few months ago that I have never got around to using. Love your clear instructions and pictures, another thing I would like to do over christmas.
There really is no end to your talents!
Someone is going to have very beautiful decorative ears this Christmas! x
Really lovely! My sister has lots of jewellery making tools, I might have to gently suggest she buys some Swarovski crystals!
Love them!
Beautiful earrings & excellent instructions. Jewelry making is also one of my enthusiasms & I’ve got all sorts of beads & findings but you know, I’ve never done earrings although I have the materials to do it. As we’re in the middle of sleet and snow this looks like a fun project.
One of my daughter’s Christmas gifts that I made from satin & lace from my mother’s wedding gown was her wedding garter. I had so much fun putting the sequins & beads in a flower – she loved it & since I used some blue crystals she now has something old & something blue. She’ll have something new & is borrowing some jewelry to cover all bases. Do you have that expression – some old, something new, something borrowed, something blue?
Thank you Celia, now I’m off to give it a go if it works I’ll show you :)