Tutorial - Marquise Earrings
with Messy Wire Wrap

© by Rena Klingenberg; all rights reserved

This tutorial for marquise earrings with "messy" wire wrap accent is simple and versatile. Once you've made the earwires, you can also enhance them in many other ways instead of the messy wrap.

In addition, you may want to see my related marquise earwire tutorial, How to Make Long Earwires.

tutorial - marquise earwires with messy wire wrap

Handmade marquise-shaped earwires
with contrasting messy wire wrap,
by Rena Klingenberg

Tutorial - Marquise Earrings
with Messy Wire Wrap

Skill Level: Beginner

Supplies and Tools:

For marquise earwires: 20-gauge round wire; I used 2 pieces of sterling silver, each 13.5 cm long. That length makes pretty long earrings, so you may want to go a bit shorter than that.

Contrasting wire to create the messy wrap - I used 2 pieces of 20-gauge artistic wire, gunmetal color - each about 25 cm long.

Ruler

Sharpie marker or other felt-tip pen

Chain nose pliers

Side cutter

Jewelry hammer - metal

Steel block or other smooth hammering surface

Jewelry file or bur cup

Large round mandrel (your sterling silver wires should be able to wrap no more than halfway around this mandrel; for my mandrel I used a can of crushed pineapple. A shampoo bottle might work well too).

Procedure:

Measure and cut your two pieces of sterling silver, which you'll be making into the marquise earwires for this project.

Next, measuring from one end of each of these wires, use your Sharpie to mark each wire at 5 cm, 7 cm, and 10 cm:

Next (not shown), wrap each of these wires around your pineapple-can mandrel, forming each wire into a half-circle.

Then, placing your chain nose pliers on the mark you made at the 5 cm point, use your fingers to gently bend the wire to form a marquise shape; bend each of these wires this way:

bend your earwires to make the marquise point

Now place one of your newly marquise-shaped earwires on your anvil. Lightly hammer the shorter side of the wire, which will go through your ear piercing. Hammer enough to make it stronger and harder, but not enough to flatten it.

Then hammer the longer side side of the wire. On this side, hammer hard enough to flatten it. Make it flatter and wider down at the tip.

Do the same to the other earwire:

hammer your earwires to harden and flatten them

Take one of your contrasting wrap wires, and wrap it in an artistically messy way between the two Sharpie marks you made at the 7 cm and 10 cm points on your earwire.

When you're finished wrapping, make sure both ends of your wrap wire are squeezed down tightly with your chain nose pliers.

Then do the same to the other earwire:

use contrasting wire to create a messy wire wrap

Now use a jewelry file or bur cup to thoroughly sand and smooth the tip of the shorter end of each marquise earwire. Make sure there are no rough spots or snags, since this is the part that will be inserted through your ear piercing.

Enjoy your new earrings!