Make Something Monday: Ceramic Shard Earrings

I have decided to start this new series called Make Something Monday which I will talk about something I have made recently and give instructions and tips. I am pretty excited about this project since I am constantly making and exploring every craft possible plus cabling in sewing and interior decorating. I also love to teach and make art accessible to every level. This series may come in many forms from crafts, to jewelry to furniture repair to thrift store fashion revamp. If you have requests of something you have seen, send me a message with a description or a pic and I will try to teach you how to make it!

Today I took some of my odds and ends ceramic pieces and made earring out of them. Before today I put holes in the pieces, glazed them and fired them but you can easily get glass beads similar to my ceramic ones at your local craft store. The key is the placement of the hole; you want the hole to be from flat side to flat side near the top rather than on the edges or in the middle of the flat side.
Finished Product:

Step 1. Gather your supplies:

• small jump rings
• large jump rings
• fish hook earrings
• bead of choice
• pliers- I used my 3 in one pliers which have wire cutters, a needle nose for jump rings, and a flat area for flattening wire. I bought mine at Walmart for 5 dollars since my nicer set is in Augusta. Cheap pliers will work just fine for this project but I nicer set is really preferred if you start to do more intense jewelry making.

Hint: I prefer to do small jewelry projects, such as this one, over a white dinner plate. so that I do not loose small jump rings or seed beads. Craft stores sell boards to work on but dinner plates work just as well and you probably already have some.

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Step 2. Attach the large jump ring to the bead: 
Jump rings come with an angled cut between two ends. Take your pliers and open the jump ring. Try to do this by spreading the two ends apart perpendicularly as compared to the ring.In other words if the ring is like a latitudinal axis then move the ends along the same longitudinal axis. Do not spread out or flatten the circle itself, this will make it easier to put the ends back together cleanly.

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Once open, put the jump ring on the bead and close it. Since you opened it without flattening the curve, you should be able to  simple use the flat edges of your pliers to squeeze the two ends back together.
I then pressed the ring into a circle with the flat edges of my pliers. I find this helps the bead not move around as much on the ring and it is also a style preference.
Tip: Wire comes flexible and malleable, but it hardens and becomes more brittle with manipulation. So try to open and close your jump ring with just one try each. This will also keep your jump ring looking cleaner and shinier.

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Step 3. Add the small jump ring and earring hook:
Open the small jump ring. Since the ring is tiny this is a bit more tedious then the previous step and it may be helpful to have a second pair of pliers. I always feel like more fingers are too chubby for small jump ring handling.
Put the small jump ring on the large jump ring. Add the earring to the other side of the small jump ring. Make sure that the earring hook is facing the correct way (As in the hook should face back like its in your ear and the front of the bead should be forward.) Some beads don't have a front side and a back and if so you don't have to worry about this. I always seem to put the earring hook on backwards the first time and I have to redo it.
Close the small jump ring.

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Viola! You have some beautiful earrings. I love the pair I made today because they are minimalistic and fresh.




Breakdown:
Cost:
$2 package of 240 assortment of silver plated jump rings
$2 package of 36 silver plated Fish Hook Earrings
$5 3-part pliers
Free beads
total= $10
Time: about 15 minutes
This was a great a quick and cheap craft. Plus now I have new earrings that look as if they are from a fine boutique.
Let me know if you have any questions!

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