Yes, I know that ear cuffs are old, old news by now. In fact, I've been sat on the fence about them for so long that I've only recently decided that I actually quite like them (all the blingy styles at the Grammy's persuaded me, I guess). I wanted one that was a little more understated, and far more wearable on a day to day basis - so, what better than to make my own? If you want to make one of your own, read on for the instructions...
You Will Need:
- 1 x 50mm tube bead
- 1 x clip on earring post
- 1 x jump ring earring post
- 1 x pearl (or decoration of your choice)
- A strong glue suitable for jewellery and metals
- Clothes pegs (useful for holding parts together whilst drying!)
I bought all of my main supplies from a local jewellery supply shop, and it all came to just over £5. Considering I have enough supplies to make another two or three of these, I might just make one for every opportunity!
Before I get on with the instructions, I will just mention that these instructions require a piercing in your earlobe - if you don't have a piercing here, you can adapt it easily by replacing the jump ring earring post with a clip on one.
1. Glue the pearl (or other decoration) to the top side of the clip on earring post, holding in place with a clothes peg until dry.
2. Glue the jump ring part of the earring post to the inside of the tube bead, ensuring it is at an perpendicular angle. This is so that when the earring is worn, the tube bead lies flat against your outer ear. It's worth working out the angle before committing to it with glue!
3. Glue the underside of the clip on earring post to the top of tube bead, again at an angle which means that when worn, the clip holds the tube bead flat against the outer edge of your ear. Hold in place with a clothes peg, and wait to dry.
Of course, I don't need to tell you all that unless you want to end up wearing this permanently, you should wait at least 24 hours for the glue to dry (read the instructions on your glue!). When it is dry however, wear it by putting the lower half on like a regular earring, and then clipping the upper part into place on your upper ear. Et voila! You have that whole future minimalist thing going on [enter other baffling fashion waffle here].
I don't have to tell you how easy this project is - in fact, once you've got a few clip on earrings in your possession, the ear cuff world is your oyster! I'll definitely be trying to develop a few more designs, and if you're looking for a little bit of inspiration, I've been doing what I do best - Pinterest (unintentional rhyme, I swear!).
It goes without saying that I love styles with pearls involved, although I'm surprising myself with how appealing I'm finding ultra minimal ear cuffs. I've been wearing mine with a single pearl in my other ear, because I'm not quite brave enough to wear jewellery on just one ear (so unbalanced!). Since growing out my hair, I've been finding it harder to think ahead planning my hair styles around earrings and vice versa. It's an unexpected side effect of long hair that your earrings get kind of lost! I've been finding a deep side parting doesn't look too fussy, and also a simple ponytail goes with pretty much all my earrings.
These photos are just to show how this looks from different angles, not because I'm some kind of narcissist! Seriously - does taking photos of yourself ever become less awkward? On another note, I've been informed that this ear cuff looks like "something out of The Hunger Games"! So, yeah, I'm totally channeling Vermeer-Capitol Chic (can we make this a thing?).
As ever, I'd love to hear from you if you try this! What do you guys think about ear cuffs? Are they wearable day to day, or just on the red carpet?
Before I get on with the instructions, I will just mention that these instructions require a piercing in your earlobe - if you don't have a piercing here, you can adapt it easily by replacing the jump ring earring post with a clip on one.
1. Glue the pearl (or other decoration) to the top side of the clip on earring post, holding in place with a clothes peg until dry.
2. Glue the jump ring part of the earring post to the inside of the tube bead, ensuring it is at an perpendicular angle. This is so that when the earring is worn, the tube bead lies flat against your outer ear. It's worth working out the angle before committing to it with glue!
3. Glue the underside of the clip on earring post to the top of tube bead, again at an angle which means that when worn, the clip holds the tube bead flat against the outer edge of your ear. Hold in place with a clothes peg, and wait to dry.
Of course, I don't need to tell you all that unless you want to end up wearing this permanently, you should wait at least 24 hours for the glue to dry (read the instructions on your glue!). When it is dry however, wear it by putting the lower half on like a regular earring, and then clipping the upper part into place on your upper ear. Et voila! You have that whole future minimalist thing going on [enter other baffling fashion waffle here].
I don't have to tell you how easy this project is - in fact, once you've got a few clip on earrings in your possession, the ear cuff world is your oyster! I'll definitely be trying to develop a few more designs, and if you're looking for a little bit of inspiration, I've been doing what I do best - Pinterest (unintentional rhyme, I swear!).
 |
| Sources, from left to right: 1 2 3 |
These photos are just to show how this looks from different angles, not because I'm some kind of narcissist! Seriously - does taking photos of yourself ever become less awkward? On another note, I've been informed that this ear cuff looks like "something out of The Hunger Games"! So, yeah, I'm totally channeling Vermeer-Capitol Chic (can we make this a thing?).
As ever, I'd love to hear from you if you try this! What do you guys think about ear cuffs? Are they wearable day to day, or just on the red carpet?
This is so ridiculously cool - your creativity always blows me away!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Anna! Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
Delete