Make Wine Cup Earrings

Before: Toy Wine Cups

These little wine cups are of undetermined origin. We found them in the basement when we were sorting out the toy box. My daughter thinks they once belonged to her Fisher-Price dollhouse set. My sons think they were from a LEGO® set gifted to them from their cousins. The DH has no idea and contributes to the debate by shaking his head and muttering about all the money spent on no longer loved toys.

Bottom line: I have no idea where these little yellow wine goblets came from... but there are two of them. They match ...and we all agreed they would make fun, very cute earrings.

After: Earrings by GeltDesigns.com

Materials
2 matching toy wine goblets
20-gauge round wire in brass, copper, sterling silver, silver plate, silver colored or gold filled

Tools
Nylon jaw pliers
Chain nose pliers
Needle files (optional)
Round nose pliers or

Gather your tools

Wire looping pliers
Wire cutters
Ear wire jig or WigJig
Flex shaft and 19 gauge cup bur or wire rounder
Plastic mallet

Step 1
Use your nylon jaw pliers to straighten and harden the 20-gauge round wire.

Feed wire; make loop.

Step 2
Feed the wire through a plastic toy wine glass. Make a small loop at the end of the wire.

Step 3
Make a loop at the top of the wine glass. Wrap the wire three times to secure the loop. Use a needle file or your chain nose pliers to file the end of the wire smooth.
Step 4
Make a second wire wrapped loop at the end of the wire and connect the two loops together. Again, wrap the wire three times to secure the loop.

Step 5
Place the second of the two wire wrapped loops on the ear wire jig. Wrap the wire to create the ear wire finding. Cut the wire at the peg.

Step 6
Remove the ear wire from the jig. Bend the wire at the end of the finding so it is parallel with the loop.

Step 7
Hit the ear wire with the plastic mallet to harden the wire and ensure it retains its shape when handled, used and worn. Adjust the wire with your pliers, if needed, to ensure the best shape for your finding.

Make second earrings

Step 8
File the end of the ear wire so it is smooth and comfortable when worn.


Step 9
Repeat to create matching earring.


Related Tutorials
Make Earrings from an iTunes Gift Card
How to Straighten Wire
How to Measure Wire
How to Use a Wire Gauge 
How to Make an Ear Wire Jig  
How to Use a Flex Shaft to Make Jewelry 
How to Smooth Sharp Wire Edges 

Further Reading
"30-Minute Earrings: 60 Quick & Creative Projects for Jewelers"; Marthe Le Van; 2010.
"500 Earrings: New Directions in Contemporary Jewelry (500 Series)"; Lark; 2007.

Day 73.  Month 4. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent to date: 0
Found materials: toys
New Jewelry a Day.

Make Wishbone Earrings from Wire

Before: Scrap Metal

Another glum, dark snowy day in Washington, DC. Yes, I know it is winter. It is supposed to be cold... but DC is south of the Mason Dixon line so we are NOT supposed to have THIS much snow.

And, to make matter worse, the snow is not fun snow. It is not cross country down the avenue on a weekend snow. It is not good sledding snow. It is not snow ball snow. The snow is a wet, icy, yucky mess. Even the kids are sick of starting the day shoveling snow. OK, enough complaining.

Luckily the power is back on and it is nice and warm in our studio... where we spent the morning making a pair of simple elegant earrings from scrap wire.


Materials
19-gauge round gold filled wire
(or sterling silver, brass or copper)

Tools
Nylon jaw pliers
Mandrel or  Wrap n' Tap pliers 

After: Earrings by GeltDesigns.com

Wire cutters
Needle file, wire rounder or flex shaft and 18-gauge cup burr
Tumbler or rawhide mallet and steel bench block or anvil

Step 1
Use nylon jaw pliers to smooth out the wire and remove kinks.

Step 2
Cut about 4 inches of wire of 19-gauge round gold filled or other wire.

Step 3
File the ends smooth.

Step 4
Place the wire on a steel bench block or anvil and hammer about 1-1/2 to 2 inches of the wire until flat.

Bend wire

Step 5
Bend the wire until the hammered front is about 2-1/8 inches (5.4 cm) long and the back is about 1-1/4 inches (3.2 cm). The front should have only the lower portion hammered.

Take care that the wire that fits through the ear (including the arc) is not hammered. Adjust the wire as needed to shape.

Adjust wire

Step 6
Tumble the earrings to harden the wire and add shine.

Related Tutorials
How to Straighten Wire
How to Use a File for Jewelry Making
How to Smooth Sharp Edges on Copper Brass and Sterling Wire
How to Make a Paddle Head Pin
How to Make an Eye Pin
How to Make A Simple Head Pin
How to Decide Wire Gauge for Wire Wrapped Jewelry
How to Use a Flex Shaft to Make Jewelry
How to Make a Ball Head Pin
How to Twist Wire
How to Clean Gold Filled Jewelry

Further Reading 
"Make Your Own Great Earrings: Beads, Wire, Polymer Clay, Fabric, Found Objects"; Jane LaFerla; 1999.
"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 70.  Month 3. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent to date: 0
Found materials: scrap wire
New Jewelry a Day.

Make a Bracelet from a Plastic Bottle

Before: Plastic bottle

Yesterday we made a cuff bracelet from a used shampoo bottle taken from our recycling can. The bottle was one of those tank sized bottles purchased at Costco so it was easy to make a cuff bracelet.

After: Boxed bracelet by GeltDesigns.com

Today we are used another plastic bottle taken from the recycling can and used the plastic to make diamond shaped charms for a bracelet. Same technique. Different look.

Materials
Plastic bottle
Jump rings
Clasp

Tools
Scissors
Xacto knife
Center punch or automatic center punch
Flex shaft, Dremel or drill press
Micro-drill bit set (#61-80)
Pyrex measuring cup
Mandrel (optional)

Step 1
Select the bottle. We used a bright green bottle. Remove all stickers and clean the bottle.

Step 2
Cut the plastic using a craft knife or scissors. We cut our diamonds about 1-1/4 inch square, but you can make the plastic charms any size you want.

Step 3
Mark the plastic where you want holes with a center punch or automatic center punch. Drill holes in the marked spots.

Step 4
Flatten and form the plastic. Dip the plastic in hot (but not boiling) water to shape the plastic charms and soften the edges of the plastic. We used a mandrel to get a slight bend in the plastic charms so the bracelet would fit better when worn but many household items (including a stainless steel coffee cup) can be used to form the plastic charms.

Add jump rings to create chain

Step 5
Feed a jump ring through each drilled hole. Connect the charms with additional jump rings to make a chain. We used gold filled jump rings and findings (because we liked the color contrast and that is what we had) but you can use any size or metal findings you like for your design.

After: Upcycled Bracelet by GeltDesigns.com

Step 6
Add the clasp. We used a spring clasp, but you can use any clasp you like.


Related Tutorials
How to Determine Bracelet Sizes
Make a Cuff Bracelet from a Plastic Bottle
How to Make a Soda Bottle  Bracelet
How to Make a Knitting Needle Bracelet
How to Make a Record Cuff Bracelet
How to Make a Pop Top Bracelet

Further Reading
"500 Bracelets: An Inspiring Collection of Extraordinary Designs (500 Series)"; Lark; 2005.
"500 Plastic Jewelry Designs: A Groundbreaking Survey of A Modern Material (500 Series)"; Lark; 2009.
"The Art of Jewelry: Plastic & Resin: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration"; Debra Adelson; 2008.

Day 68.  Month 3. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent to date: 0
Found materials: plastic bottle
New Jewelry a Day.