Learn more with these titles from Barnes & Noble
 |
- Step-by-step instructions
- Helpful illustrations and diagrams
- A list of everything you’ll need
|
 |
|
 |
|
Getting Started
The key to making this beautiful pair of earrings is patience. Take your time to ensure your wire wrapping technique is precise, and you’ll get stunning results.
Pearl Basics
Pearls come in a wide array of shapes, colors, sizes, and prices. Cultured pearls are created by a pearl farmer who inserts a round shell bead inside a mollusk. The mollusk builds nacre around the irritant, creating a fairly uniform pearl. Culturing pearls not only garners consistent round sizes, but offers the opportunity to produce other shapes as well. Keishi, one type used in this project, are shaped pearls that have no nucleus—they’re simply the extra nacre produced by a mollusk.
Each species of mollusk creates a slightly different type and color of pearl nacre, but the most noticeable difference is between freshwater and ocean pearls. Freshwater mollusks produce pearls that have a characteristic uneven surface.
Skill Level
- Experienced Beginner
Materials
- 2 white freshwater pearls, 5mm x 7mm top-drilled teardrop
- 2 white freshwater pearls, 5mm keishi
- 2 white freshwater pearls, 5mm round
- 2 mauve freshwater pearls, 5mm button
- 2 peach freshwater pearls, 5mm button
- 2 mauve freshwater pearls, 4mm round
- 2 white freshwater pearls, 4mm button
- 2 peach freshwater pearls, 3mm round
- 2 white topaz or quartz faceted rondelles, 3mm
- 14 sterling silver 24-gauge head pins, 1-1/2" (3.8 cm) in length
- 2 sterling silver 24-gauge ball-end head pins, 1-1/2" (3.8 cm) in length
- 2 sterling silver lever back or French hook earring findings
- Piece of 2.5mm oval link sterling silver chain, 2" (5.1 cm) in length
- Piece of 26-gauge sterling silver wire, 9" (22.9 cm) in length
Tools
- Chain-nose pliers
- Round-nose pliers
- Wire cutters
Finished Size
- 1" (2.5 cm) in length
| Copyright 2007 Lark Books | Acknowledgments & Disclaimer |
Tags
No one has tagged this page yet... Be the first.. Log in using the link below and return to add your tag
for just $2.95
► Handy, portable format
