Head Pin Branch Earrings

These fun, dangly earrings have a lot of movement when worn and look much harder to make than they really are. Depending on the materials you choose, you can make them very cheaply. Or you can make a special pair of more expensive, elegant earrings. You can easily change the look by using different head pins and beads.

Materials:

Head pins - 10 per pair

Beads (make sure they fit on the head pins) - 10 per pair

Seed beads if needed - 10 per pair

Ear wires of your choice

Tools:

Round nose pliers

Flat nose pliers

Wire cutters (only if your head pins are too long)

String one bead on to one head pin. Make sure the bead doesn't slip over the head. If it does, you can fix this by stringing a seed bead on first, as shown.

Then bend about 8mm of the head pin tail end at a 90 degree angle.

Use your round nose pliers to make a loop out of the "tail" and use the flat nose pliers to fine tune the loop.

String a second head pin the same way as the first.

Put the end of the second head pin through the loop you just made.

Hold by the end of the unlooped head pin.

Bend the second head pin at a 90 degree angle while still attached to the first head pin.

Proceed to make a loop just as in the previous step.

Continue making branches until you have used 5 head pins.

When you pick up the chain of branches, they will hang in a zig-zag pattern.

Open one ear wire loop by grabbing it with your flat nosed pliers and twisting to the side. Just a couple of millimeters will do. Attach the last branch loop and close the ear wire loop. One earring is done!

Repeat the whole process to make the second earring for a fabulous pair.

Here are some ideas:

Try different beads and head pin sizes.

Try adding more beads or mixing up beads on different branches.

TIP: Pearls look amazing with this technique.

Change the earring length by adding or subtracting branches.

Try different ear wires.

Above all, have fun!

I love to see what people do with my instructables, so please send photos!