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Rustic Copper Washer Earrings – Long & Short (Tutorial)

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

In this tutorial we’ll make a long pair and a short pair of earrings.

If you patina a handful of copper washers, you can make a lovely variety of earrings with them!

How to
Patina Your Copper Washers

We’re going to start out by giving our washers a lovely, colorful patina.

In the photo below, the washers on the left are nice and shiny right out of the package.

On the right, the washers are much more interesting thanks to their patina – which is created simply with boiled eggs:

For the Patina:

Follow my easy tutorial, Oxidize Sterling Silver and Copper with Boiled Eggs.

Important: For this project, my washers developed the color I wanted in about 15 to 20 minutes.

So keep a close eye on your washers as they oxidize!

After your patina process, when your washers are thoroughly dry, you can preserve your patina color using a clear, matte-finish spray lacquer – three light coats of lacquer on each side of the metal, drying each coat thoroughly before applying the next coat.

How to Make the Long
Rustic Copper Washer Earrings:

Supplies for the Long Earrings:

• Washers – I used two 5/8″ copper washers, and two 1/2″ copper washers – all from Harbor Freight.
• 6 jump rings.
• 1 pair of earwires.
• Flat nose pliers.
• Chain nose pliers.

Making the Long Earrings:

I put these earrings together starting at the bottom, and worked up to the top.

So for each earring, I used the larger (5/8″) washer at the bottom.

Then I attached the smaller (1/2″) washer to it using a jump ring.

I added two more jump rings to the top of the smaller jump ring.

Finally, I attached an earwire to the top jump ring.

Here’s the finished pair of earrings:

How to Make the Short
Rustic Copper Washer Earrings:

Supplies for the Short Earrings:

• Washers – I used two 1/2″ copper washers, from Harbor Freight.
• 2 beads that make a nice contrast against your washers (I used laminated square paua shell beads).
• Optional: Seed beads or spacer beads (I used black seed beads).
• 2 headpins or pieces of wire to string your beads on.
• 6 jump rings.
• 1 pair of earwires.
• Round nose pliers.
• Flat nose pliers.
• Chain nose pliers.

Making the Short Earrings:

Again, I put these earrings together starting at the bottom, and worked up to the top.

So for each earring, I strung my square bead and seed beads onto a headpin, and made a loop at the top.

(If you’re new to making wire loops, or have trouble with them, see my 2-minute video, Make a Plain Wire Loop.)

Then I attached a jump ring to one of my washers, and also strung my bead’s headpin loop onto that washer.

I added two more jump rings to the top of the jump ring.

Finally, I attached an earwire to the top jump ring.

Here’s the finished pair of earrings: