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Hoops & Chains Earrings (Tutorial)

by Rena Klingenberg. © 2003-Present Rena Klingenberg. All Rights Reserved

For these swingy earrings with an Art Deco vibe, we’ll make angular wire hoops and add some slinky chains.

I’ve used a very fine, thin chain for this project, but I think these would also be cool with a lightweight chain of large, open links!

Supplies:

• Soft round wire, 18 gauge (I used Artistic Wire in “Antique Brass” color) – 2 pieces, each 12cm (4.72″) long.
  
• Chain that dangles nicely – 4 pieces that are 6cm (2.4″) long; and 2 pieces that are 7cm (2.8″) long.
  I used this thin, slinky, oxidized chain:
  
• A pair of earwires. I used these oxidized sterling silver earwires:
  
• 4 jump rings – 7mm or 8mm size. I used these antiqued silver jump rings:
  
• Wire cutter.
• Flat nose pliers.
• Chain nose pliers.
• Round nose pliers.
• Sharpie marker to mark measurements on your wire.
• Ruler.

How to Make
Hoops & Chains Earrings:

We’ll start by making the pair of angular wire hoops.

Cut two pieces of your wire, each each 12cm (4.72″) long:

Next we’ll need to mark the wires, so you’ll know exactly where to bend them.

Use a ruler and your Sharpie marker to mark you wire as shown in the picture below.

The blue lines show where to make your three marks on each of your wires:

When you’ve finished, your marked wires should look like this:

Now we’ll make the first bend in your wires. We’ll work with one wire at a time.

Pick up one of your wires, and grasp it with the tips of your flat nose pliers.

The mark you made on the centerpoint of the wire should be right next to one side of your plier jaws:

Now make a 90-degree bend (a right angle) in your wire, so that the centerpoint you marked is now in the center of the bend:

Now your wire should look like this, and the bend you just made will be the bottom of the hoop:

Next we’ll make a slight bend on one of the side marks you drew on the wire.

Grasp the wire with the tips of your flat nose pliers, with the mark you made on the wire right next to one side of your plier jaws (the blue arrow points to the Sharpie mark).

Gently bend the wire inward, toward the inside of the hoop:

Now your wire should look like this:

Now move your flat nose pliers to the remaining Sharpie mark on the wire.

Grasp the wire right next to the remaining mark you made on the wire (the blue arrow points to the Sharpie mark).

Gently bend the wire inward, toward the inside of the hoop:

Now your wire should look like this:

If one of your wire ends is longer than the other, trim the longer wire end so that both wire ends are about the same length.

Next we’ll make a little loop at the top of each end of your wire.

Use the tips of your round nose pliers to grasp one end of your wire:

. . . and roll the wire end into a little loop:

Now your wire should look like this:

Make a similar loop at the other end of your wire, so that your wire looks like this:

Now use your flat nose pliers to bend each of the two long sides of your wire toward the center:

. . . bending the wires until one loop is on top of the other:

Now your finished wire hoop should look like this:

Use your remaining wire piece to make a second earring like the one you just made:

Now the wire hoops are done!

Time to add the chains.

Each earring will have three chains (2 short and 1 long):

. . . so for the pair of earrings, we’ll need to cut 6 chains total:

• 2 chains that are 7cm (2.8″) long
• 4 chains that are 6cm (2.4″) long.

Now we’ll assemble one earring at a time.

Use your chain nose and flat nose pliers to twist open one of your jump rings.

(If you’re new to using jump rings, see my quick tip for how to open and close jump rings.)

Now thread one of your wire hoops onto the opened jump ring:

Then add one of your short chains:

Next add your longer chain, followed up by another of your short chains:

Now use your chain nose and flat nose pliers to twist your jump ring shut.

Twist open a second jump ring, and thread it through the first jump ring.

Then thread one of your earwires onto this second jump ring:

Twist the jump ring shut:

Your first earring is finished.

Finish the second earring in the same way.

Now your Hoops and Chains Earrings should look something like this: