By Show Me Step by StepPublished
Based on a video by Fantasia Elegance.
Wire wrapped earrings look fancy, but this pair needs only wire, three pairs of pliers and about an hour. Jocelyn of Fantasia Elegance shows how to make simple swirl earrings: two S-shaped swirls nested into a four-loop clover and tied together with fine wire. They look classic and elegant, and they are a good first wire project.
Each earring comes out about an inch across.
You need flush cutters, chain nose pliers and round nose pliers. For the swirls, use 18 gauge dead soft round wire; Jocelyn uses sterling silver. For the bindings, 24 or 26 gauge dead soft wire, round or half round. A steel bench block and a hammer are optional but make the earrings stronger and shinier. Add a pair of ear wires to finish.
Dead soft means the wire bends easily and stiffens as you work it. That is what you want for swirls. Practise first in copper or silver plated craft wire, which costs a fraction of sterling. Once your swirls come out even, switch to sterling silver or gold filled wire for gifts. Avoid plated wire for the final pair if your ears react to base metals.
The lower the number, the thicker the wire. 18 gauge is sturdy enough to hold a swirl shape when it hangs from your ear. 20 gauge works but bends out of shape more easily. The fine 24 gauge wire is soft enough to wrap tightly around two thick wires without gaps.
Measure all four pieces before you start, and make one swirl as a template. Hold each new swirl against it as you go. Grip the wire at the same spot on the round nose pliers jaw every time; a strip of tape or a marker line on the jaw helps you repeat the size.
A few taps on a bench block flatten the curves a little. That makes them catch more light and hardens the metal so the swirls keep their shape. The swirls may spread as you hammer; nudge them back with pliers. Never hammer the spot where two wires cross, as it weakens the wire.
Hang a bead or a small briolette below the swirl, or between the swirl and the ear wire. Make several components and link them with jump rings for a bracelet or necklace. Copper swirls with a red bead make an easy Christmas pair.
Sterling silver tarnishes in air. Store the pair in a small zip bag with an anti-tarnish strip, and wipe them with a polishing cloth before you wear them. Take them off before swimming or using lotion.
Tool marks on the wire? Grip more gently, or wrap the plier jaws in tape. Binding slipping? Squeeze the crossed tails tight at the back before you start wrapping. Sharp ends scratching? Trim with the flat side of the flush cutter toward the piece and press the ends down flat.
New to jewelry making? Learn how to open a jump ring without bending it out of shape, make a beaded bracelet to match, or try polymer clay earrings and resin earrings.
10 steps · about 15 minutes.Check off each step as you go and your progress saves automatically.
Measure and cut four pieces of 18 gauge dead soft round wire, each 2 1/4 inches long (about 5.8 cm). Two pieces make one earring. Use flush cutters so each cut leaves one flat end. Then trim the other end of each piece too, so both ends are flush. Flat ends curl cleanly and do not leave a sharp point at the centre of the swirl.
Tip
Cut all four now. Matching lengths give you matching swirls.
Set three pieces aside. Grip the very tip of one wire in your round nose pliers and start rolling it inward. Keep the curl open, so the wire does not touch itself yet. Turn to the other end and curl it the same way in the opposite direction. You now have an open S shape with a small curl at each end.
Tip
Re-grip the pliers as the curl grows. Small turns give a rounder swirl.
Swap back and forth between the two ends, curling each a little at a time so they stay even. Keep going until each swirl touches the middle of the wire. The finished piece looks like a figure eight made of two spirals. Use this first one as a template and check each new swirl against it.
Tip
Work both ends in small turns. Finishing one end first makes them lopsided.
Pick up your chain nose pliers and refine the shape. Squeeze the curls gently so the spirals are tight and the two halves are the same size. Then make three more swirls the same way. Hold each one against your template so all four match. Two will become one earring, and two will become the other.
Tip
Light pressure is enough. Hard squeezing leaves marks on soft wire.
This step is optional but worth it. Lay the four swirls on a steel bench block and tap them with a jewelry hammer. Hammering flattens the wire a touch, gives more surface to catch the light and hardens the metal so the swirls hold their shape. The swirls may spread out a bit. Nudge them back into shape with your pliers.
Tip
Use the flat face of the hammer and let it fall. You do not need force.
Take two swirls that curl in the same direction. Turn one sideways and nest it into the other so the four loops form a clover, with the two wires crossing at the centre. This is the shape of the finished earring. Hold the pieces firmly between your thumb and fingers so they do not shift while you bind them.
Tip
Check the finished earring photo if the nesting is confusing. It clicks quickly.
Cut six pieces of 24 gauge dead soft wire, each about 1 3/4 inches (4.6 cm). Each earring gets three bindings: one in the centre and one on each side. Bundle all six together and bend them in the middle with chain nose pliers, so each becomes a small U shape. Set all but one aside.
Tip
Bending the bundle at once keeps every U the same size.
Drop the U-shaped wire over the centre where the two swirls cross. Flip the piece over and squeeze the tails with chain nose pliers so they cross at the back. Bring one tail around the junction and keep wrapping tightly. Do three or four wraps, using the second tail for the last one if you want it extra secure.
Tip
Pull each wrap snug before the next. Loose wraps let the swirls twist.
Turn to the back and trim the excess tails with flush cutters. Press the cut ends down with chain nose pliers so they lie flat against the piece and will not scratch. Add the two side bindings the same way: drop a U over each junction, cross the tails at the back, wrap, trim and flatten. Then build the second earring to match.
Tip
Keep every trimmed end on the back so the front stays smooth.
Open the loop of a French hook ear wire sideways with your pliers, the way you open a jump ring. Slide it through the top loop of the swirl component and close it again. Do the same for the second earring. You can make your own ear wires from 20 gauge wire, or use ready made sterling hooks.
Tip
Twist the loop open sideways. Pulling it apart distorts the circle.
Keep going
How to Make a Chevron Friendship Bracelet: 7 Step Tutorial
How to Make Wire-Wrapped Earrings
E6000
E6000 Craft Adhesive, Clear (3.7 oz)
The industrial-strength craft glue that bonds glass, wood, ceramic, metal, fabric, and concrete. The one adhesive most craft projects reach for.
Gorilla
Gorilla Dual-Temp Full-Size Hot Glue Gun
Dual-temp so it handles delicate florals and heavy materials alike. A precise nozzle and built-in stand make it the everyday craft-table gun.
OLFA
OLFA 18" x 24" Self-Healing Cutting Mat
The pro-standard cutting surface. Gridlines for square cuts, self-healing so blades never leave grooves, and big enough for paper, fabric, and leather.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links on this page may be affiliate links - clicking them and buying doesn't change your price, but helps support Show Me Step by Step.
Sunday How-To
One short email with the week's best step-by-step guides. Free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Did this work for you?
Hand-picked next reads based on the one you just finished.
Pick the categories you want to hear about. Weekly digest of new step-by-step tutorials. No spam, easy unsubscribe.
Send me tutorials about
