tulum turquoise earrings

Pretty hues of turquoise blue, beige, antique copper and gleaming gold mix here to create a totally tropical-bohemian look! This chic fiesta of hippie goodness just reminded me of something you'd wear on the sandy beaches of Tulum (or really any other oceanside getaway!)…..

These chandelier-style earrings are surprisingly light, and surprisingly easy to make. I've started with a hand-forged wire frame, hammered to give a rustic texture and evoke a more antique vibe. Wrapping gemstones around this wire frame, and adding chain and bead dangles all combine to create a very intricate, very unique earring.

When I first got these turquoise and howlite rounds from bead store PandaHall.com, I knew I wanted to create something with a more neutral color palette. My love for mixed metals spurred the chandelier earring idea, thinking that copper and gold, both "warm" colors, would blend well together.

These are larger earrings, made so to show off the textured wire frame. I'll show you some substitutions later, just in case you want to make a smaller earring, change up the colors, or even try different shapes. Let's get started!

Step 1: Gather materials. I used 8mm gemstone rounds from Pandahall, 4mm turquoise rounds from Pandahall,  24 gauge Cousin gold wire, 16 gauge Cousin copper wire, wire cutters and pliers, gold eyepins, gold fish hooks, jumprings and finally a nailpolish bottle (to wrap around).



Start off with your 16g wire. Wrap a couple of times around your nailpolish bottle. Gently take/slide this large coil off - cut through the coil at the top. With two of them, create loops at both raw edges with your pliers.
You can obviously use a round bottle, or really any shape. I like the diamond/arrowhead/triangle form of this one, because it is a little different than the ordinary!



I went and hammered these gently, to create texture and give it more of a weathered look. I literally used a regular hammer and concrete (in the garage), not a nice bench block and jewelry hammer. This gave that rough texture (that I prefer), but if you want a clean look, you've gotta use the ones made for jewelry. I am just to cheap to buy that, and prefer a rustic look! Especially for these earrings.
With your eye pins, create two beaded links, one on each side of the wire frame. Add a bead link on top of each previous one, and connect them with a jumpring- add a fishhook to top.



With about a foot of 24g wire, tightly coil the end around the bottom "v" of the frame- wrap about 3 times. Add a bead, catch it in this wrap, and wrap around twice again. Repeat twice with the turquoise. Now, add three howlite wraps, then repeat with three turquoise. Wrap and cut flush with the excess wire.

This step can be done after hammering (in step 2) and it is much easier to wrap this way! Beginners please do this! Then resume with the rest of step 2.



I then took about a 2" piece of chain, attached it with a jumpring to the wire frame's top loop. Attach it to the other side with another jumpring. Finally, I added a chain piece (maybe about .75" long) to that top jumpring, and added a turquoise charm at the end.
 

Not too bad, right?! Like I said, if you're not into mixed metals, copper always pairs well with turquoise, so you can use all copper findings. You can even try all silver for a more modern look. The 8mm howlite beads from Pandahall come in an array of colors, so you can choose if you want to use the beige or colored ones.



You could also make these smaller by using a smaller nail polish bottle. The, reduce the number of beaded wraps and bead links to keep the proportions. I also used a square nail polish bottle - try a round one for a different look.
I could totally see these pairing well with a flowy maxi dress and sandals for a chic beach outfit. If you're not anywhere near the beach, like me, don't fret. Pair with a long tunic top (in a neutral color) and dark skinny jeans. I add combat boots (when do I not) for edginess. You could also wear with flats or even heeled booties.



If any of you crafters follow this tutorial, be sure to take pics of your final result! Tag me @quietlioncreations on Instagram and I will repost you!


All photos copyright Allison Beth Cooling for Quiet Lion Creations. Do not post or reuse without crediting me and linking to me!