Boho Chain Tassel Earrings With Beads

I don't remember the first time I saw chain tassels but I remember how much they stopped me and made me look. They look so fun and sophisticated. In this Instructable, I'll show you how to create stunning Boho chain tassel earrings using Tibetan bead cones topped with gorgeous glass beads.  

The best part? These earrings are not only visually appealing but also quick and easy to make, making them a perfect project for beginners. So, get ready to unleash your creativity and elevate your style!

Materials:

• Two bead cones
• Gold-plated chain. I used the 1.5mm but the 2.5mm might be easier to work with.
• Two 4mm gold-plated jump rings (these come with the chain linked above)
• 24 gauge gold-plated beading wire
• Two gold-plated ear wires
• Two sets of beads that complement each other. We'll discuss how to choose those below.

Tools:

• Wire cutters, preferably flush cutters
• Round-nose pliers
• Two pairs of chain-nose pliers. I use regular chain-nose and bent-nose pliers to work with together.
• Kitchen towel that's a bit fluffy (to keep beads from rolling away)

First of all, I always place down a fuzzy hand towel to keep all the parts from getting away from me. Beads especially like to roll off the table and get lost forever. I got the towel I use at the Dollar Tree, and it has been great!

Now, let's get to work.

Cutting the chain sections is the most time-consuming step, but the most important one since it's the focal piece of the earrings. You need to cut 20 sections of chain 1.75" long. You can make them shorter or longer to match your preference but know that about a quarter inch will be tucked inside the bead cone later and won't show.

To measure each section, I like to take the chain, place it on top of my ruler (shown above in the image on the left) past the 2" mark then slowly pull it back toward the end of the ruler so it straightens out and I know I'm getting the correct length. Use your wire cutters to cut the sections. When cutting, make sure to cup your hand over the area because the cut pieces will fly out and become projectiles if you don't stop them.

Each section may be a link or two longer or shorter than others, but because these will all get pulled together into a tassel, the length differences will be OK. To make sure there aren't any that are wildly different, you can hang all the chain sections on a straight pin (shown above in the image on the right). You will see right away any that need to be trimmed. You can use your wire cutters to trim off excess chain links.

First, you need to cut two 4.5" long sections of beading wire. You won't need that much, but it's always good to have too much that you can trim than not enough and have to start over again. Plus it's nice to have a little extra to hold onto while you work. To straighten the wire before cutting it, rub a soft cloth along it. (There are wire straightening tools, but I've never used them so I don't know how well they work.)

Next, feed 10 of your cut chain sections onto a piece of wire. 

Now we're going to fold, roll, and wrap. I wanted to say wrap and roll, but that's not the correct order. 

The photo collage above, from left to right, will help guide you in the steps below:

1. Fold 1.75" to 2" of wire up on one side, then push all the chain sections together toward that fold. 
2. Fold the long end up and over, crossing the wires to pull the chain sections together. 
3. Wrap the short end of the wire twice around the long end to secure the loop.
4. Then wrap it back down again and around the top of the chain pieces to secure them and create the tassel. I found it easier to grasp the long wire end with my chain-nose pliers while I twisted the short-end wire around the chains. Then when I got to the end of wrapping, I used my bent-nose pliers to push the point of the wrapped wire into the chains so it didn't stick out. 

Don't worry if your wire wrapping looks sloppy. It's all going to get tucked into the bead cone next and will be well hidden.

You're nearly done! 

First, push the wire at the top of the tassel through the bottom of a bead cone and out the top (first photo above). 

Next, you will add your beads on top of the cone. To choose your bead arrangements, keep these thoughts in mind:

• Don't let the beads outshine your star. These are little spots of color meant to accent the fun chain tassels you just worked so hard to create.  
• Size matters! These are hanging from your ears, so don't choose something large and made of porcelain that will pull too hard. Also, you'll want to keep your bead arrangement under 5/8" long to make sure you have enough wire to create a wrapped loop in the next step. 
• Mix it up. It's more fun to choose 2 or three beads of mixed sizes and colors rather than one large one. You could stack three beads from large to small, three that are small-large-small, or two beads of two different sizes. The variation in sizes creates more interest, just like in art. You might also consider a mix of metal spacer beads and colored beads to allow the colored ones to stand out more. Or mix up textures and colors like I did. My blue bead is cracked glass and the purple one is a smaller faceted glass bead.

Now you're going to do a wrapped loop to hold it all in place. 

The photo collage above, from left to right, will help guide you in the steps below:

1. Push the beads down tightly against the cone. Then bend the wire above to a 90-degree angle, leaving a tiny gap of about 2mm above the beads.
2. Use your round-nose pliers to form a loop with the wire above the bend. Then fold the wire back behind the bend.
3. Use your chain-nose pliers to hold the loop steady while you wrap the wire around the gap above the beads. Keep the wraps tight together. You can use your bent-nose pliers to squeeze them together if they start to spread out. Continue wrapping the wire until you get to the top of the beads.
4. Trim any excess wire with flush cutters (make sure the flat side of your cutters faces the coil). Use chain-nose or bent-nose pliers to tuck the end of the wire down so it won't snag your clothing or hair later.

Open a 4mm jump ring by twisting it and not pulling it apart (see second image above). Put the loop from your tassel on, then the ear wire, and then close the jump ring by reversing the twist. Sometimes you have to twist a jump ring back farther than its cut point, and back again to get it to line up properly.

Creating your own Boho chain tassel earrings opens up a world of possibilities for expressing your unique style. Don't be afraid to experiment with different chains, bead colors, styles, and arrangements to create earrings that truly reflect your personality. Let your imagination run wild and create earrings that are as individual as you are!