Christmas Bulb Earrings with Murano-Style Hand-Blown Glass Beads and Gold-Plated Bead Caps

Delightful dangle earrings resembling vintage glass Christmas bulbs are easy to make. Beautiful and inexpensive, this timesaving design is ideal for group beading classes and will be a top-selling design at craft fairs.

String onto one gold-plated headpin:

• Gold-plated flower bead cap, 6mm
• Red Murano-style glass bead, 23x19mm round (or any glass bead)
• Gold-plated basket-style bead cap
• Gold-plated flower bead cap, 6mm

With the round-nose pliers, grasp the headpin approximately 1/8 inch above the 6mm flower bead cap and make a 90 degree bend in the wire. Rotate the pliers to an upright position, still grasping the wire, and pull the end of the wire around the pliers toward you making a loop. Continue to form the wire around the pliers until you have a full loop. The end of the headpin will be facing away from you.

Keep the round-nose pliers in the loop and, with the flat-nose pliers, grip the end of the wire. Slowly wrap the end of the wire around the headpin starting at the loop and wrapping tightly until you reach the bead cap. Make sure that you have the wrap even and it is tight enough against the beads to keep them all in place.

Using the flat-nose pliers, grasp the open side of the loop on the earwire and gently twist open. Hang the string of beads on the loop and gently twist the loop closed.

Repeat Steps 1 - 4 to make a second earring.