Twisted Wire Stud Earrings Tutorial

Hey guys! Want to make some simple stud earrings? Well, I think you might like these little wire creations. 

Materials Needed:

• 18 gauge wire (I used silver plated copper)
• round nose pliers
• flat nose pliers
• wire cutter
• posts with 4mm pads
• super glue gel (or E6000 glue) 
• chasing hammer
• steel bench block

Begin by cutting two pieces of your 18 gauge wire. My pieces were roughly 3 inches. Form a tight loop at the end of one piece with your round nose pliers, and then crimp it shut. This is the beginning of the spiral where you will glue your post so you want to try and close the loop completely if you can. Now, use your flat nose pliers to wind the spiral. I wind it a couple of times. I am using 4mm posts, so as long as the spiral is bigger than the post pads, you are good to move onto the next step.

Using your flat nose pliers, like the 5th and 6th images, start to form your serpentine design.

Once you get near the end of your wire, use your round nose pliers to close off your design with one last loop. The next step is optional. Using a chasing hammer and steel bench block, you can hammer the designs a bit to flatten them out. You can tell between the 3rd and 5th image that the hammering I did is very subtle. So, if you want to omit that step, that's totally fine. Also, if you choose to hammer the wire, be careful not to hammer too hard with the silver plated copper. If you hammer the wire too thin, the copper color will show through. 

Next, take your glue, whether it be super glue or E6000, and attach your posts. You only need a little dab of glue on the post pads. Let the glue dry according to the bottle's directions. I choose to use super glue, because 1.) it dries much faster and 2.) it doesn't say it causes cancer like E6000. I worry too much about everything, so use E6000 if you prefer.

And there you have it! Since the loops at the bottom of the designs are open, you could add on to these earrings with beads or chain. Or really whatever you are feeling. Let me know if you have questions or comments, and if you try this tutorial, I would love to see the end result.