How Do You Make Jewel Sterling Silver Hoop Earrings?
Sterling silver and crystals can be elegant additions to your jewelry collection but come with a price tag. Making a pair of jeweled sterling hoop earrings is a way to save money and customize color, size and shape. Cut the 20-gauge wire in half. For each earring, wrap the wire around the empty film canister to form a loop with a 1 cm overlap. With the round-nose pliers, grasp one end and twist it to the side to form a hook. String 5 crystals onto the unhooked end of the wire. Repeat with the other earring. Adjust the crystal placement as you like. Grasp the unhooked end of the wire about 3 mm from the tip with the round-nose pliers and bend it up. This should form a kink at an approximately 100-degree angle. Check that this bend fits securely in the hooked end of the hoop. Repeat with the second earring. File the kinked end of each hoop with sandpaper, taking care to round the end without sanding it to a sharp point. This is the end that will be fitted into a pierced ear.
