Wire Rosebud Earrings Tutorial

Artist headpins are growing in popularity and offer so many design possibilities.  These little rosebuds are created from the wire on these Petal Headpins.  The project works best with headpins that have 3-4" of wire. Handcrafted earwires give this design an artisan finish.

Supplies:

2 polymer clay headpins

2 sterling silver earwires

4 Czech glass flowers

1. Create a loop with round nose pliers at the end of the headpin.

2. With the flat nose pliers, turn the wire a 1/4 turn to create a spiral.  Keep turning a 1/4 turn to create a larger spiral.  After 2-3 turns you can use your finger to turn the wire and layer the last two turns on top of each other to offer some dimension to your spiral.  One the last turn leave a space in the wire large enough for a loop to fit into it.

3. Brush the spiral with a little bit of steel wool or a buffing pad to bring out the highlights.  (If you are using copper or brass wire headpins you could dip the rosebud into liver of sulphur to darken the metal and then buff out the highlights.)

4. String on two glass beads on the earwire and form a simple loop at the bottom of the earwire.

5. Hammer the earwire to strengthen the design and attach the headpin to the bottom of the earwire.

Headpins from Humblebeads.

 

-Heather Powers is the editor of the Art Bead Scene, the author of Jewelry Designs from Nature and the hands behind Humblebeads.