Here’s a jewelry project to welcome in Spring Time! The “Busy Bee” Earring project celebrates our friend the bee and his contribution to our world through pollination. Honey bees bring us beautiful flowers, healthy food and even clean air. To help protect the bee and other pollinators, Rings & Things has joined with the Pollinator Partnership; when you purchase bee-related items from Rings & Things, a portion of the sale goes to support this non-profit organization and their mission. So get busy and make some bee-related jewelry; the bee and Mother Earth will thank you for it!
You will need these supplies:
- 2 each TierraCast Small Bee Charm or other Pollinator (I used item #44-940-90-AS)
- 2 each 12mm Electroplated Hematine Rose Coin Bead (I used item #21-007-322-20)
- 2 each TierraCast Nugget Heishi Bead (I used item #49-955-05-SP)
- 2 each Swarovski 4mm Faceted Bicone Bead ( I used item #05-328-04-35)
- 2 each 2″ Standard Eye Pin (I used item #37-722-1)
- 1 pair French Hook Earwire (I used item #34-599)
12mm Electroplated Hematine Rose Coin Gemstone Beads
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You will need the following tools:
- #69-271-02 EURO TOOL Glitter, Round-Nose Jewelry Pliers
- #69-271-08 EURO TOOL Glitter, Flat-Nose Jewelry Pliers
- #69-271-05 EURO TOOL Glitter, Semi-Flush Side Cutter
- #69-271-03 EURO TOOL Glitter, Chain-Nose Jewelry Pliers
Assembly Instructions:
Lay out the parts in order of assembly: bee charm, eye pin, rose coin bead, nugget heishi bead, crystal bicone bead, and earwire.
Twist open the loop on the eye pin and attach the bee charm. I prefer to face the back-side of the charm towards the side of the eye pin with the split, that way the split will not be visible from the front.
String the beads onto the eye pin: rose coin bead, nugget bead, and crystal bicone bead. Slide the beads down to the base of the eye pin, so they are positioned just above the loop and the bee charm.
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Jewelry Making: How to Make a Wire-Wrapped Loop
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To add a hanging loop, begin by bending the eye-pin “tail” at a 45-degree angle leaving a short “neck” below the bend. I like to use narrow chain-nose pliers for this task. You will be making two-to-three complete wraps around the neck; the length of the neck will vary based on the gauge of the eye pin and the number of wraps.
Use round nose pliers to form a loop in the head pin.
Jewelry-Making Tip: Use a fine-point permanent marking pen to add marks to your round-nose pliers; the marks aid in forming perfectly matched loops.
Finish the loop by wrapping a tight coil around the neck of the eye pin. When wrapping a loop next to crystal beads, work carefully so you don’t chip them. I like to end the coil on the back side so the clipped eye-pin tail will not be visible from the front side.
Clip off the remaining tail near the coil. I use semi-flush side cutters and face the flat side of the cutter towards the coil to achieve a clean cut. If there is a nib left, use chain-nose pliers to pinch the nib into the wrapped coil.
The earring charm is complete and ready for the addition of an earring hook.
Twist open the loop on the ear wire. String on the assembled earring charm (with the ball-end ear wires, you may need to string the earring on from the tail end). Make sure your earring charm is facing in the correct direction (front toward front), and then twist the ear-wire loop closed.
Repeat the steps to make the second earring.
“Busy Bee” Earrings by Rings & Things jewelry designer Mollie Valente.
Make things,
Mollie
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