These feel very whimsical. I think it's the purple. I love the versatility of wire for jewelry. For these earrings, I used 18 gauge silver plated copper wire for the larger circle, and 24 gauge silver plated copper for the inner loop design. Then, I used clear nail polish, with a little bit of purple alcohol ink mixed in to give a stained glass effect to the coloring of the loops.
Materials Needed:
- 18 gauge wire
- 24 gauge wire
- round nose pliers
- flat nose pliers
- wire cutter
- clear nail polish and alcohol ink or nail polish color of your choice
- fish hook ear wires
- third hand tool (optional)
I'm not the most precise when it comes to measurements. When I work with earrings, I just cut two pieces of wire of the same length and call it good. But, if I had to pin down a length, 3.5 inches would do for each piece of the 18 gauge wire.
To begin, take one piece of 18 gauge wire, and form a loop with your round nose pliers. Then, grab your bottle of nail polish and use the top to bend the wire. If your nail polish bottle isn't very big, you can use a large marker, or any other cylindrical object of desirable size to shape the wire.
Form a circle with the wire, then use your round nose pliers to form a loop on the straight end of the wire. Repeat this with your second piece of 18 gauge wire. Set these two aside and grab the 24 gauge wire.
Cut two pieces, about 5 inches in length of the 24 gauge wire. Using your round nose pliers, begin about an inch into the wire to form your first loop. Wrap the longer end of the wire around your round nose pliers until the wire begins to 'stack'. Then move onto the next loop. You can move the wire up and down the round nose pliers to get different sized loops, but don't make them too big if you want to add the nail polish.
Once I have a few loops done, I check how it fits in the 18 gauge design. Once I've adjusted the curves of the 24 gauge wire, I continue adding loops until the first and last loops can touch the sides of the 18 gauge wire near the top of the design.
Take your flat nose pliers and begin wrapping the excess ends of the 24 gauge wire around the 18 gauge wire. I use my fingers to bend the 24 gauge wire around the 18 gauge wire at first, and then use the flat nose pliers to tighten the wire. Do this for both sides of the 24 gauge wire.
Now you are ready to add your coloring. I use third hand clamps to hold the designs as I work with the nail polish. It makes things easier, but it's not necessary. Using a scrap piece of paper, place a few drops of clear nail polish down. Then add a drop or two of alcohol ink. Mix it together with a scrap piece of 24 gauge wire.
To add the color to the loops, dip the scrap piece of wire into the polish so that a little drop collects on it. Then put the wire inside of one of your loops, using a light circular motion, the nail polish should stick to the sides of the loop and form a tight surface. Don't use too much polish or it will flow out of the loop, and if you use to little, the center of the polish will pull apart. Also, if your loops are too big, the polish won't form a tight surface.
Add the polish to each loop and let it dry.
Once your nail polish is dry, you can put your ear hooks on. Use your flat nose pliers to open the loops on the ear hooks and slide your designs one. Close the loops the same way and you are good to go.
Let me know if you have comments or questions. If you like this tutorial, check out the list below of similar nail polish designs!
Nail Polish Earrings
Faux Stained Glass Earrings
Copper Wire Earrings Tutorial
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