DIY earrings using pave beads

I just love a sparkly pair of earrings. There is something magical that happens when you put in a pair that makes you feel so glamorous. However, many times sparkly earrings are expensive. So how can you feel glamorous without breaking the bank? Make your own with rhinestones!
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These earrings use easy to make homemade pave beads.  Pave beads are round beads covered with small rhinestones. While there are many different types for sale online, you can make your own. Also, I used Swarovski Rhinestones for maximum sparkle.

For this project I used:
Oven backed polymer clay
9ss rhinestones about 65
E6000
2 head pins
2 Ear wires
2 small beads
Jewelry pliers – chain/needle nose, round nose, flat nose and side cutters
2 - 4 mm jump rings

How to Make Pave Beads
 
To begin, make 2 balls out of polymer oven baked clay. Each ball should measure about 12mm. Using a straight pin or small nail, make a hole through the center, large enough to fit an eye pin through. Bake for 15 minutes at 275 degrees. When finished baking, remove from oven and let cool.
 
Next, the rhinestones need to be glued to the clay balls. Although there are several suitable glues, I chose to use E6000 for this project for its strength of adherence. E6000 tends to be gloppy so I like to squeeze a small amount over a paper plate. Use a toothpick to scrape a small amount of glue. Apply this to the clay ball. Pick up a rhinestone with tweezers or a wax tipped tool and gently press it into the glue. Continue gluing until the bead is covered with rhinestones leaving the hole open. Let dry for 24 hours. 

How to Make DIY Earrings

 Slide a small bead onto the eye pin and then the pave bead on top. 
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Using the chain nose pliers bend the eye to a 90 degree angle
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Then, using the round nose pliers, bend the wire around the pliers to make the loop.
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​Hold the loop with the flat nose pliers and start to wrap the excess wire underneath the loop.  Before you get to the bottom, cut the excess wire and then tuck in the end.
 
Next, open a 4mm jump ring. Attach the ear wire to the loop in the pave bead using the jump ring. Close the jump ring and your earring is finished.

​Every movement of you head will produce a twinkle of light as each rhinestone on the pave beads sparkle. Glamourous and captivating, these earrings will accessorize any outfit. Easy to make and inexpensive, you’ll want to have several pairs of these DIY earrings on hand.
 

Need rhinestones to get you started on making some pave beads? Rhinestones Etc. has competitive pricing and excellent customer service.