DIY Bead Cap Fringe Earrings

There's something almost magical about a pair of earrings that have a lot of movement to them. The jingle and jangle of many moving parts catches the eye and enchants the observer. This was the case with these bead cap fringe earrings. The minute they were made, I was giddy.

We all have those techniques and tricks that we see other artists use and know that we want to try, so we file them away or pin them to Pinterest for another day. While I'm awful about getting back around to those ideas, sometimes I just HAVE to try them. This bead cap fringe idea is one that I know I've seen multiple times but put off for later. Most recently, I saw Moois Van Mie share an earring tutorial that uses the technique. While coming up with designs for Bead Box 11, I decided to try it and loved how fun the results were. So, I'm sharing it with you. The ones I made are simple enough.

Start with some basic materials - 

For a pair of earrings, you'll need double what I have pictured here: a metal tassel, eight small beads, eight balled headpins, a bead cap (with loops), a spacer bead, an ear wire, and a short length of wire (20 or 22 gauge). You'll also need some basic jewelry pliers: chain nose, round-nose, and flush cutters.

I have the entire process of making these DIY Simple Bead Cap Fringe Earrings for you on YouTube.

However, if you just want the quick walk-through, here you go.

Start by placing one of the small beads on one of the balled headpins. Begin your wrapped loop, but don't wrap it just yet. 

Slightly twist open your loop and slip it onto one of the rings on the bead cap.

Now, close your loop by wrapping it. Then, trim the excess and tuck the tail. 

Repeat the process for all the petals on your bead cap.

From there, we need something to hang from the center to give your earrings a little weight. I chose a metal tassel. But, another charm of some sort would work too. Make a wrapped loop at the base of a short length of wire, adding your charm before you wrap the loop. 

Then, insert the other end of the wire into the center hole of your beaded bead cap. Make sure it's the underside of the cap. Top the cap with a spacer bead and form another wrapped loop. Trim the excess and tuck in the tail.

After that, it's just a matter of twisting open the loop of an ear wire and attaching it to your fringed charm before closing it and completing your earrings. 

And, you've got yourself a pair of fabulously fun, flirty earrings full of all kinds of movement. 

I'm hoping to get better about posting more jewelry-related tutorials around here. In fact, I have a whole series recorded and waiting that I may start next week. But, this little tutorial happened first, so I'm sharing it first. Do let me know if you have any questions about the earrings made here or any suggestions for future tutorials. I hope I've inspired you to make something beautiful today.