How To Make Tassel Earrings

Tassel earrings can be made so many different ways: The tassel itself can be chain, plain or fancy head pins, beading cable with sparkling crystal beads, Wire Lace, almost any type of thread … even spikes!

And then, how to top off the tassel? Bead caps, cone ends and bullet ends are classic tassel tops, but other options are crystal dome beads, fold-over clamps, and simple jump rings.

Here are 12 of my favorite tassel earring tutorials from 9 designers, with tips for each pair, and — if the original project from 2015 is still available — links to each designer’s complete supply list and tutorial.

Fuchsia Daydream Tassel Earrings

The fuchsia flowers that bloom on countless front porches during warm weather inspired these crystal earrings. Pre-made chain tassels and two layers of crystal dome beads from Swarovski give depth and movement. To create the flower’s top, add crystal beads to a 2″ eye pin in this order: light pink bicone, dark pink bicone, 8mm fuchsia dome bead, 15mm amethyst dome bead, and top with a green bicone. Create a simple loop above the beads.

There is some debate about the best way to create a simple wire loop. For step-by-step illustrations of 3 popular methods, see page 1 of Rings & Things Jewelry Basics 101 PDF.

Add a pre-made chain tassel to the bottom loop, then make tiny dangles to hang from the chain, using ball-end head pins, 4mm crystal bicone beads and simple wire loops.

Tip for working with wire, jump rings, eye pins and head pins: Use non-serrated pliers to avoid marring your wire, and/or add Tool Magic™ to the tips of your pliers.

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Shores of Curacao

When is the last time you saw a tutorial for clip-on tassel earrings … with spikes!?!

This spiky pair of earrings uses the same pre-made 8-strand chain tassels as above, with lightweight metallized plastic spikes, and a great clip-on earring finding from TierraCast.

Cut the tassel chains to different (somewhat random) lengths for a feathery look, and use jump rings to attach spikes to the chain ends. This is a great design for clip-on earrings, because the metallic plastic spikes are hollow, making the whole design very lightweight.

Jump Ring Tip: To open and close jump rings, twist sideways instead of “ovalling” them. This keeps their shape better, which makes them easier to close all the way.

For more jump ring tricks, see page 3 of the Rings & Things basic jewelry-making PDF.

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Bright Particles Tassel Earrings

Cut 10 pieces of chain. 2 each: 2″, 1.75″, 1.25″, 1″ and 0.5″. Add pairs of the molecule crystals back-to-back to 8mm round jump rings, and attach a set to the bottom of each chain. Attach one chain of each length to an 8mm jump ring. Add another jump ring to the top of this. Add a final pair of molecule crystals to the top jump ring.

Tip for cutting equal lengths of chain: Cut one piece of chain to the required length, and run a head pin through an end link. Slide the end link of the spooled chain onto this head pin next to the original chain.
Hold the head pin up horizontally (parallel to the floor) with the two chains dangling straight down. Cut the chain from the spool, the same length as the piece already cut. Repeat for the total number of pieces you need.

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Lilac Tassel Earrings — fit for a Queen!

Cut 14 pieces of chain, each 1.5″ long (7 pieces per earring). See tip above, for cutting equal lengths of chain.

For each earring, string the end link of seven chain pieces onto a 5mm jump ring, and connect the jump ring to a 2″ eye pin loop. String the eye pin up through a bullet end (hiding the jump ring), then add a 7mm rhinestone wheel and 8mm crystal briolette bead to the top. Finish by wire-wrapping a loop, adding the chain tassel to the post earring before finishing the loop. Mechanical-grip nuts are long-lasting, secure earring backs.

For step-by-step instructions on making wire-wrapped loops, see page 2 of Rings & Things Jewelry Basics 101 PDF.

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Capped Sea Jellies

Use round-nose pliers to carefully uncurl and slightly straighten the loop on two tassels. Slide the C-Koop flower bead caps over the straightened loops, and reform the simple loops. Attach a French clip ear wire to each loop.

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Nature Flows – Sparkling Crystal Tassel Earrings

To make these sparkling earrings, cut 4 pieces of beading cable, and fold them in half. Hold all 4 strands together and run a large (size 3) crimp bead over the folded strands, creating a loop at the top. Flatten the crimp. String 4mm faceted crystal rondelle beads on each strand, add a small (size 1) crimp to the bottom, and crimp. Slide a floral bullet end over the top, and attach an ear wire to the loop.

Crimp Bead Tip: You can simply flatten crimp beads with a pair of flat-nose pliers, or use a pair of crimping pliers to create a smaller, neatly rounded crimp.

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Crystal Bronze Persuasion

Add approximately 9 antiqued Indian brass beads to each 7/8″ head pin. Make a simple loop at the top of each head pin.

Trim the head off a head pin, and make a large loop on one end, to make the beaded head pin dangles easier to attach. Attach 5 beaded head pins to this large loop. Run this pin up through a 15mm Swarovski Crystal Bronze Shade dome bead, and carefully make a simple loop at the top. Attach a Bronze Niobium French hook ear wire to the top loop.

Tip for turning head pins into eye pins: If you run out of eye pins or wire the right size, you can convert head pins into eye pins. Simply snip the head off, and make loops as needed.

See: more colors and sizes of Swarovski’s crystal dome bead

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Disco Wizard Tassel Earrings

Use rhinestone chain and long “wizard hat” cone ends to create this fun pair of sparkling earrings.

For each earring, cut 3 pieces of rhinestone chain (2 to 2.5″ long), and add a chain end to each piece. Use chain-nose pliers to gently fold the prongs of the chain tab over the edges of the rhinestone.

Add a 4.5mm jump ring to the chain tab of the longest chain, then attach this jump ring and the other 2 pieces of chain to a 3″ eye pin. If the loop on the eye pin is not large enough for the two chain tabs and jump ring, cut off the eye and make a larger loop.

Slide a long cone over the eye pin to cover the chain tabs. Make sure each piece of rhinestone chain faces out. If not, rearrange them on the eye pin.

Make a wrapped loop (page 2 of Jewelry Basics 101) at the top of the cone, and attach a leverback ear wire.

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Lilac Crawley Tassel Earrings

Randomly string approximately 1″ of tiny pearl beads, 3mm Crystal Lilac Shadow bicone beads, and size 15 Miyuki seed beads onto 9 1.5″ sterling head pins. Make a simple loop at the top of each head pin.

Separate these into a group of 4 and a group of 5. Connect the group of 4 with a 4mm jump ring, and connect the group of 5 with a 5mm jump ring.

Trim the head off a head pin. Make a loop at one end, and attach the 2 jump rings to the loop, then string this through a sterling silver Santa Me’ cone, add a crystal bead to the top and make a wrapped loop directly to a textured Marquise ear wire (ear wire loop doesn’t open).

Repeat for other earring.

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Petra Chain Tassel Earrings

Cut 14 pieces of chain in varying lengths from 2″ to 1.25″. Make sure you have two sets of each length. Keep the sets of seven separated. (See: tip for cutting equal chain lengths.)

Using 1″ ball-end head pins, create wrapped-loop 4mm round gemstone dangles connected to one end of each chain. For step-by-step instructions on making wire-wrapped loops, see page 2 of Rings & Things Jewelry Basics 101.

Attach the other end of a seven-chain set to the loop of a 1.5″ eye pin. Pull this eye pin through a bullet end and add a gemstone bead to the top. Make a simple wire loop, and attach to an ear wire.

See: Complete parts and tutorial for Petra

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Modern Tassel Earrings

This great pair of unique tassel earrings from Tiffany uses some non-standard materials and techniques: beading chain… but no beads. And she topped off the chain with ribbon crimp ends (and a dab of glue).

See the full tutorial, with step-by-step photos.

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Swarovski Crystal Tassel Earrings

This lovely pair of tassel earrings is made with Vintaj bead caps, Vintaj bird charms, 16mm shell pearls, a crystal bicone mix in shades of brown, and 1mm chocolate WireLace.

Check out this nifty template Tiffany created, to get just the right look:

I’ll let her explain in the process in her own words and step-by-step photos.

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I hope you enjoyed these designs, and learned useful new jewelry-making techniques!

If you have any questions, please ask.

Rings & Things ships jewelry-making supplies all over the world, and we love to teach you how to make jewelry, whether you make jewelry for sale, or just for fun.

~Polly