Tutorial: Rhinestone Ear Cuff

I figured out how to make my own version. I have to warn you, though, that even in casual clothing, wearing one of these may make you feel like a princess.

I’ll show you how to make the one above, but I also made another, from bits and pieces of some broken vintage jewelry.

Here’s how to make your own.

Materials:
Wire (16 or 18 gauge)
Earring posts (You can buy them here)
Clip-on earring back (I found some here, and you can also find them on Etsy)
Rhinestones, 3mm size (I bought mine from Antiqued on Etsy)
Glue (I swear by E-6000)
Wirecutters
Needle-nose pliers 

Methods:
1. Cut about 5 inches of wire and use the needle-nose pliers to form a small loop in one end. Attach this loop to the clip-on earring.

2. Clip the earring onto the top of your ear where you’ll want to wear it, and put the stud earring in your ear lobe. Bend the wire so that it follows the shape of your ear, and mark where it reaches the center of the earring post.

3. Create a small loop on the other end of the wire, where you marked it, and cut off the excess wire.

4. Glue the wire loop to the pad on the earring stud. Allow it to dry.

5. Cut two lengths of the required amount of rhinestone chain, and lay the two pieces side by side. Glue them together, then glue the wire to their backs. I wound my chain around the front of the earring stud, covering the metal and making a little rosette. Let the glue dry.

6. To wear your ear cuff, slip the stud into your pierced hole, then clip the cuff onto the top of your ear.

For this one I didn’t do a detailed tutorial, because you’re unlikely to be able to find the same materials. Instead of attaching the rhinestone chain to the wire with glue, I attached it with smaller wire (28 gauge), and I didn’t use a clip-on earring, but instead created an ear cuff out of the wire. I think the version with the clip is more secure, though. If you can find appropriate jewelry to salvage, I definitely recommend using it to create your own unique version.