These Perriwinkle Frost Chandeliers by Phillipa Kunisch at Anthropologie are so dainty and elegant. I love the use of only wire and crystal to make such an intricate earring! These inspired me to make a version of my own.
I really love gold, and these two-tone crystals by Cousin were the perfect choice to use because of their gilded look! That paired with the thin, textured twisting of the wire and dangles that flow in the air make for a pair of sure statement earrings! For my DIY version, I used smaller crystals, but more of them, to create even more sparkle.
People will have no idea that you made these yourself, trust me! They will be great for wearing to upcoming holiday parties or any other special events.
Did I mention that they are super lightweight?? Seriously, usually chandeliers are lobe-stretching heavy, but these are light and airy, which is good for everyone!
Let's get started.
Step 1: Gather materials. All you need are pliers, gold earwires, 24g gold wire (mine from Cousin) and 4mm or 5mm crystals (mine from Cousin).
Step 2: Make wrapped links with two of your crystals, cutting the wire flush to finish. Cutting the wire flush on each link will be key here, to keep a clean look to your earrings! Add the top loop of each link to the earwire.
Step 3: Make two more links, but this time with two crystals per link. Cut about 6" of wire, string on the links you just made AND the bottom loop of the link attached to the ear wire, and group all these links together by holding the joint with your roundnose pliers and twisting the wire against itself with your other hand. It should look like this (bottom pic).
Step 4: Continue wrapping the wire until it is about 2cm long, and finish with a wrapped loop.
I repeated the last step and this step for the other earring.
Step 5: To make the cross-section, add on another 6" piece of wire on the open end of one of the 2-bead links. Fold in half and then start twisting the wire on itself, like in step 3; when the wrap is about .5" long, insert the vertical twisted wire inbetween the wires, and twist tightly to hold in place; twist another .5" until you reach the other side of the earring; finish off this horizontal piece by ending with a loop, catching the 2-crystal link's open end into the loop. It should look like this (last picture).
Step 6: Add two 1-bead links to either side of the horizontal crossbar. To add the chandeliers, cut about a 4" piece of wire, and fold in half. At the half, make a small loop and then twist the wire upon itself just like how you have been doing. When you reach a little over 1cm of a twist, insert the top loop of the 1-bead link you added, and twist tightly to secure like you did with the vertical crossbar in the last step. Finish off with another 1cm of wrapping, then end with a loop. Repeat with the other side of the earring. Add 1-bead links to the empty loops on the chandeliers (4 in total).
Step 7: Add a final chandelier to the bottom loop of the central bead link, then add 1-bead links to the empty ends of the chandelier. To add the crystal finishes in the center, cut about a 5" piece of wire, and fold in half. Thread on to the side of the horizontal crossbar, right at the halfway mark, and twist to secure. Add three crystals, then thread through the vertical crossbar, then another 3 crystals. Wrap at the other side of the horizontal crossbar to secure, and cut flush. The arrows show where to start the wrap, and the thread-between of the vertical crossbar!
To finalize, add one more crystal drop at the center chandelier.
Even though these earrings look expensive, they are so cheap to make! The materials cost less than $10 all together, while the Anthropologie version is about $250.
You can make these in all colors of crystals; try using silver wire if you like silver, or maybe a copper wire would look cool with some turquoise-colored crystals, for a western-inspired look?! The possibilities are endless!
Your DIY version is so beautiful!
ReplyDelete- Aysha @ www.thecreativemuslimah.blogspot.com