Can a Bead Lover Love Wire?

When you make a pair of earrings, do you start with wire and add beads? Or, do you have beads you want to use and choose wire as your framework? Though I love the linear design possibilities in wire itself, I usually use wire to be, shall we say, the branch from which to hang the fruit––the beads.

Fastest earrings I ever made
I especially like using discs, such as these lampworked beauties by JoAnne Zekowski. Few earring designs are faster than this: Use a round-nose pliers to bend a ball-end head-pin loop large enough to capture your bead and carefully bring the ball to the wire so the bead is secure but hangs nicely. Bend the long wire end around a pencil for the part that goes through your ear, and you’re finished!

Add detail with wirework
You can stop right here and have a nice little pair of earrings. Or, play with another piece of wire and make a dangle for your earrings. Try an easy spiral and hammer it into a solid form.

Wire wrap it up
Attach your spiral to the disc with a wire-wrapped loop, large enough to capture the wheel. Make a simple wire-wrapped loop beneath the focal bead, then attach the spiral with another simple wire-wrapped loop.

Adding elements
I added another dangle to the spiral with a jump ring, so you can see that adding beads or other elements to your wirework––or using wire with your beads––can be SO easy.

Totally Twisted!
Wire and beads can really get a party started when you bring more color to the mix and advance your wireworking. You have to see Kerry Bogert’s new book, Totally Twisted. It’s a celebration!