Make Earrings from Beer Bottle Caps

Before: Beer bottle caps

While we had our bottle cap collection out we decided to make earrings. Again, we decided to use the bottle caps "as is" without any type of embellishment... but we played around with a bunch of different designs using salvaged papers for decoupage and odd pieces and parts to combine with resin to fill the inside of the bottle cap. For today, we decided we wanted simple, but we sketched our more elaborate designs for another day.

Gather tools

Materials
Beer bottle caps
20-gauge round brass wire


Tools
Automatic center punch
Drill and size 41 drill (.096) bit
Half-round file
Chain nose pliers
Round nose pliers
Wire cutter
Needle files or wire rounder
Steel bench block
Rawhide mallet

Step 1
Select two matching bottle caps.

Mark bottle cap with center punch

Step 2
Mark the bottle cap with a marker where you plan to drill a hole. Use the automatic center punch to create an indentation where you marked the bottle cap. The indentation will prevent the drill bit from slipping when you drill the hole.

Drill bottle cap

Step 3
Use a drill and a size 41 drill bit to drill a hole in the bottle cap.

Step 4
Make a loop at the end of the 20-gauge wire. Slip the bottle cap onto the loop and then wrap the wire three times to secure the wire and prevent the bottle cap from slipping off the loop.

Step 5
Shape the 20-gauge wire into a earring finding above the wire wrapped loop.

After: Bottle cap earrings by GeltDesigns.com

Step 6
File the end of the ear wire smooth using a wire round or a cup bur and a flex shaft (or other rotary tool).

Step 7
Repeat to create matching earring.

Related Tutorials
Make a Bracelet from Beer Bottle Caps
Make Cuff Links from Beer Bottle Caps
Make Earrings from Plastic Bottle Caps
Make a Necklace from Plastic Bottle Caps
Make Chanukah Menorah Earrings from Plastic Bottle Caps

How to Select a Cup Burr 

Further Reading
 "Junk Jewelry: 25 Extraordinary Designs to Create from Ordinary Objects"; Jane Eldershaw; 2008.
"Semiprecious Salvage: Creating Found-Art Jewelry"; Stephanie Lee; 2008.
"Fabulous Jewelry from Found Objects: Creative Projects, Simple Techniques (Lark Jewelry Books)"; Marthe Le Van; 2007.
"Jewelry and Accessories from Everyday Objects: 19 Unique Projects Inspired by Found Objects and Ready-Made Materials"; Tair Parnes; 2007.
Junk to Jewelry: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Found Objects in Jewelry You Can Actually Wear; Brenda Schweder; 2007.

 New & Noteworthy
"Jewellery from Recycled Materials (Jewellery Handbooks)"; Jaimie MacDonald; 2011.

Day 113. Month 5. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: beer bottle caps
New Jewelry a Day.  

Make Earrings from Ballpoint Pen Caps

Before: Ballpoint pens

As soon as we saw the purple caps of these ballpoint pens, my daughter and I were excited. The color was yummy and we decided the caps would make great cone components for earrings. We used brass wire and added a pearl dangle taking advantage of leftover pearl earrings from an old beading project.

After: Pen cap earrings by GeltDesigns.com

Materials
2 ballpoint pen caps
2 pearls
headpin or  20-gauge brass wire
ear wires or 22-gauge brass wire

Tools

Gather your tools

Jewelry saw and blades
Chain nose pliers
Round nose pliers
Needle files


Wire cutter
Nylon jaw pliers
Steel bench blockRawhide mallet


Step 1

Cut off the tails of the pen caps

Cut off the "tail" of the ballpoint pen cap with a jewelry saw to create a cone. The pen caps we selected are a lovely shade of purple, but you can use any caps you like. If needed, sand the caps with sandpaper until smooth.

Step 2

Make loop below pearl

Feed a pearl on the wire. Make a very small loop below the pearl so the pearl will stay on the wire.

Step 3
Measure 2 mm less than the length of the pen cap (about 2 inches) and make a second larger loop at the other end of the wire. Wrap the excess wire to secure the loop. Trim the excess wire with a wire cutter and file the ends of the wire until smooth using needle files.

Step 4
Make a loop on another piece of wire. Secure the wire wrapped loop of the pearl drop to the loop of the second piece of wire. Feed the second wire through the top of the cone of the pen cap until the loop is at the very top of the cone. (Our pen cap had a hole at the top of the cone, but some do not and may need to be drilled).

Step 5
 Create a third loop on the outside of the cone. Wrap to secure the loop and hold the pearl dangle in place. Trim the excess wire. File the ends of the wire smooth with a needle file.

Note: Only the third loop will be visible on the finished earring, so take care that this third loop is round, well wrapped and as close to perfect as possible.

Attach the ear wires

Step 6
Make the ear wires. Place the formed ear wires on the steel bench block and hammer with the rawhide mallet to harden the ear wires.

Step 7
Attach the ear wires to the loop at the top of the cone.


Related Tutorials
How to Make "Fish Hook" Ear Wires
Make Earrings from Copper Wire
Make Earrings from an iTunes Gift Card
Make Dog Earrings from Toys
Make Earrings from Scrap Wire  

Further Reading
"101 Wire Earrings: Step-by-Step Projects and Techniques"; Denise Peck; 2009.
"The Earring Style Book: Making Designer Earrings, Capturing Celebrity Style, and Getting the Look for Less"; Stephanie A. Wells; 2010.

Day 112. Month 5. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: ballpoint pen caps
New Jewelry a Day.   

Make Earrings from Plastic Bottle Caps

Before: Bottle caps

Earlier in the week we made a necklace using plastic bottle caps collected from Vintage Seltzer bottles. Today, we made coordinating plastic bottle cap earrings.

We decided to vary the design a bit by making the earrings opposite images rather than identical.

After: Bottle Cap Earring by GeltDesigns.com

Materials
Bottle caps
18-gauge brass wire

Tools
Drill and bits
Round nose pliers 
Wire cutter
Needle files
Chain nose pliers
Steel bench block
Plastic mallet
Tumbler (optional)

Step 1
Select the bottle caps and arrange the design.

Drill hole in bottle cap

Step 2
Drill holes in the bottle caps. Drill two holes in the top bottle cap and one hole in the bottom bottle cap.

Step 3

Feed wire through bottle cap

Create the middle bottle cap that holds the finding and has a second dangling bottle cap below.

Feed the wire through the bottle cap with two holes. Make a loop on one side of the bottle cap. Make a second loop on the other side of the bottle cap. Cut the wire from the spool. File the wire ends until smooth.

Step 4
Create the dangling bottle cap. Feed the wire through the drilled hole. Make a small loop inside the bottle cap. Make a second larger loop on the outside of the bottle cap. The second loop should be the same size as the loops made in step 3. Again, cut the wire from the spool. File the wire ends until smooth.

Step 5
Make the ear wires. Place the ear wires on the steel bench block and hit the ear wires with a plastic or rawhide mallet to harden and burnish the ear wires. You can also use a tumbler to hasten the hardening and burnishing of the ear wires.

Assemble the bottle cap earrings

Step 6
Assemble the earrings.


Related Tutorials
Make a Necklace from Plastic Bottle Caps
Make Chanukah Menorah Earrings from Plastic Bottle Caps
How to Make "Fish Hook" Ear Wires
How to Select a Cup Burr

Further Reading
"Fantastic Recycled Plastic: 30 Clever Creations to Spark Your Imagination"; David Edgar, Robin A. Edgar; 2009.

Day 105. Month 5. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: bottle caps
New Jewelry a Day.