Orbital Earrings Tutorial
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These earrings are made from hammered silver wire wrapped around a mandrel into a circular shape. Gold pearls and headpins are added and connected to leverback earrings using jump rings. The document provides detailed instructions over several steps to create either medium or large circular earrings using basic jewelry tools and materials like silver wire, gold beads, and jump rings.
Orbital Earrings Tutorial
- 1. 1 Orbital Earrings Judy Larson A marriage of gold and silver, plus a lot of hammering, makes these beautiful earrings. For a different look, change the wire color and gemstones. A medium and large size are shown. Materials: 20 gauge round dead soft silver wire One pair of leverback earrings Two 2” gold headpins Two 8mm gold pearls-large hoop or Two 6mm gold pearls-medium hoop Two 8mm gold jump rings Two 6mm gold jump rings Two 4mm gold jump rings Tools: Flat, bent and chain nose pliers Flush Cutter Ruler Hammer and bench block ¾” mandrel or dowel (blue) for large hoop earrings or 5/8” mandrel or dowel (copper) for the medium hoop earrings Directions: Step 1: Working from the wire spool, wrap the wire around the appropriate size mandrel 4½ times. Leave a 9” wire tail for the large hoop earrings or a 7” wire tail for the medium hoop earrings. Step 2: Wrap the wire from the beginning of the coil several times around the coil. Wrap the wire tail tightly around the wire coil. Hint: Push the wire through the center of the unit to avoid kinks in your wrap wire. There should be no wire left when you are done. You do not need to be neat and even with this step. No two finished rings will be exactly alike.
- 2. 2 Step 3: Now for the fun part: Place the wrapped wire coil on the bench block and hammer it flat. Put some muscle into it-this is a great way to get rid of frustration! Just make sure that both rings are evenly flattened. Note: You may have to cut off the ends of the wrapped wire if they stick out after hammering. The photo to the right shows rings before and after hammering. Step 4: Insert a headpin into one gold pearl. Create a wire wrapped loop at the top. Repeat with the other pearl. Step 5: Find the area on each ring that seems to have the least wire wrapping. Step 6: Open one 8mm jump ring, slide on one pearl and then enclose a hammered ring in the circle. Close the jump ring. Repeat with the other jump ring. Step 7: Attach a 6mm jump ring to the 8mm jump ring on one earring and then slide the hole in the earring onto the jump ring. Slide the bottom loop of one earwire onto the jump ring. Close the jump ring. Repeat with the other earring. Your simple yet elegant earrings are done!