Making filigree jewellery

During the last week of October The Beadmixer offers a special Filigree sale!
In this article you'll find a collection of earrings and necklaces in which filigree elements were used.

Art Deco glass earrings DIY

In January I wrote a DIY article in which I used these cone beads together with bead caps: Art Nouveau cone earrings
Thanks to these clips it is much easier to use the drop beads. The result; chic earrings!

Meditteranean earrings

It appears to be a particularly hot summer this year! As we have not planned any exotic vacations this year, I decided to create a Mediterranean ambience here with these earrings.

Tutorial - A rainbow of earrings

For me, jewelry design at its best is when I can duplicate it in different colours. Especially if you are selling your own handmade creations, you may recognise that the design process takes a lot of time and effort. It's nice to appeal to a wider range of customers, because you can offer a piece of jewelry in their personal favourite colour.

Tutorial Faux malachite earrings

One of my personal top three gemstones (along with Lapis Lazuli and Turquoise) is definitely Malachite!

Gypsy earrings

Aren't these a colourful lot? I have made this collection of Gypsy boho earrings with lampwork beads from India. The lampwork beads are a personal favorite of mine due to their vibrant colours. The beads in the so-called 'Weddingcake' style are made by hand in India. Combine them with a beautiful maxi dress for a summery Gypsy boho look!

Drop earrings with golden bowties

I've wanted to work with these goldstone drops for quite a while. The combination of the goldstone with the different colours of the beads really is a beautiful sight. The crystal rhinestones bring out the colours of the drops, and the cute little bowtie is the cherry on top!

What do you need for one pair of earrings?

• Novelty faux gemstone beads, two pieces. These beads can be purchased in four different colours: ruby red, malachite green, lapis blue, and a mix of these colours.
• Octagon rhinestones, 14x10 mm, two pieces.
• Prong settings with two eyelets for 14x10 mm octagons, two pieces.
• Beadcaps for the drop beads.
• Headpins gold tone, 50 mm.
• Bowties in gold tone.
• Earhooks.

How do you proceed?
The earrings consist of three parts: the pendant with the drop, the connector with the rhinestone, and the earhook.

Use a pair of nose pliers to place the octagon rhinestone into the prong setting. Put your thumb on the rhinestone to keep it in place, and fold the prongs down to secure the stone in the setting. To prevent the stone from slipping, it might help to begin by folding down the clasps that are situated opposite one another.

You won't need any glue to keep the stone in its place once you have folded down all the prongs.

Place the drop onto the headpin and add a beadcap on top. You can bend the cap to make it fit more neatly if necessary. Cut off the headpin, but make sure you leave enough material to fashion an eyelet. Do not completely close up the eyelet.

Attach the eyelet of the drop to the prong setting and close up the eyelet.

Fold down the eyelet of the earhook. Make sure you attach the prong setting before adding the bowtie; the bowtie needs to be in front of the rhinestone. Now close up the eyelet of the earhook.
Your earrings are finished!

Combinaties

Brass setting with 2 eyes for octagon rhinestone 14x10 mm KLZ-OC005B

Metal pendants bowties gold 15x10 mm MH-ST002P

Headpin gold 50 mm NS-G003

Earring hooks brass OH009

Novelty faux gemstone drop goldstone lapis blue 30x10 mm FES-DR003D

Novelty faux gemstone drop goldstone malachite green 30x10 mm FES-DR003C

Novelty faux gemstone drop goldstone ruby pink 30x10 mm FES-DR003B

Beadcaps raw brass 6x5 mm KK035

Art Nouveau cone earrings

Have any of you ever watched the series Boardwalk Empire? It's an exciting tale set in the American prohibition era, starring gangsters like Al Capone. Stylewise, the period is set shortly after World War I, the last days of the Art Nouveau movement. The costume styling is beautifully done, and I always marvel at the gorgeous earrings the ladies are wearing.
So I was greatly inpired to make these Art Nouveau cone earrings. They are long earrings with large glass pendants, and they have a wonderful antique feeling to them.
The pendants are horizontally drilled through the top, that's why I fitted an eyepin throught the drill hole, and covered it all up with a filligree beadcap.

What do you need?

• Glass cone pendants 2 pieces.
• Long filigree beadcaps 2 pieces. I chose bronze metal, but we carry several other metal colours.
• Eyepins 4 pieces. Size 40 mm will be adequate, you will need to cut them to required length.
• Art Nouveau style earring findings add extra nostalgic character.

How do you proceed?
1. Use a flat nose plier to bend the beadcap into shape, allowing them to slide over the cone perfectly.

2. Slide an eyepin throught the drillhole of the cone. You will need about 1 cm at the rounded side of the pin, which is bent upwards.

3. Bend the eyelet upwards placing it at the top centre of the cone. I used a flat nose plier for bending the pin.

4. Bend the latter side of the eyepin upwards, and then sideways towards the eyelet, so as to wrap around the eyelet. Don't worry about appearance at this stage, for you will cover it all up with the beadcap. The main goal is to make sure that both pendants will have the same length, for you will want symmetrical earrings.

5. Cut the eyepin at the eyelet, thus creating a pendant loop.

6. Open up the eyelet of the second eyepin, attach it to the pendant and close the eye up again.

7. Slide the filigree beadcap over the cone. The eyepin should come out on top.

8. Create a loop for hanging, and again keep in mind that the earrings should be equally long.

9. All that's left now is to attach the Art Nouveau earring findings. These hooks are convenient because the eye is nog fully closed - it may be opened with pliers to attach the pendant.

Items

Earring hooks Art Nouveau style antique bronze OH011

Eyepin bronze 40 mm KS-B001

Long filligree bead cap antique bronze 41x8 mm KK020A

Cone glass pendant cognac brown 36x12 mm GH001A

Agate Lantern earrings

In the picture, starting at the top and moving to the bottom, the following beads and materials were used: MK-SP006A, AG-R001, MK-SP004A, KK022A, AG-FR010, KK022A, MK-SP004A, MK-RD003A, MK-SP004A, MK-SP006A
How to make agate lantern earrings
This is a collection of earrings inspired by beautiful lanterns, such as the Moroccan hennalamp. I really wanted to work with agates and bronze-coloured metal, the large filigree beads in particular.
Consequently, I pulled about 30 boxes of beads from the shelves and started making combinations until I assembled this set of earrings. The agates always come in a natural variety of colours, which means that every item will always be unique. For example, the small 5 mm beads are India agate and all came from the same strand of beads. You can see in the picture they come in many different colours and I myself was quite surprised about the versatility of such a small bead.

What do you need?

• Bronze-coloured headpins, size 70 mm. This length of headpin will allow you to make every type of earring displayed on the page.
• Bronze-coloured earhooks. I have opted for a simple style, but you can choose any type of hook to your liking.
• Agate beads in different sizes.
• Bronze-coloured metal beads in different shapes and sizes.
• Beadcaps in different shapes and sizes.

How do you proceed? You can use the designs on the page as a base for your own earrings. The colours of the agate beads are interchangeable, which means you can vary the colours to suit your own preferences.
If you want to design your own earrings, make sure to bear in mind the balance of the different sizes. I always prefer to fit the agate beads with a beadcap. You can experiment with different metal beads and beadcaps; you will be surprised by the difference even a small spacer can accomplish!

In the picture, starting at the top and moving to the bottom, the following beads and materials were used: MK-LT001, MK-SP006A, AG-R001, MK-R008A, KK022A, AG-FR007, KK022A, KK021, AG-FR010, KK021

In the picture, starting at the top and moving to the bottom, the following beads and materials were used: AG-R001, KK022A, AG-FR009, KK022A, MK-R007, AG-R001

In the picture, starting at the top and moving to the bottom, the following beads and materials were used: AG-R001, MK-SP004A, AG-R005, MK-SP004A, KK027, AG-FR005, KK027, AG-R001

In the picture, starting at the top and moving to the bottom, the following beads and materials were used: KK022A, AG-FR004, KK022A, KK022A, AG-FR008, KK022A, KK022A, AG-R003, KK022A

In the picture, starting at the top and moving to the bottom, the following beads and materials were used: AG-R001, MK-SP004, MK-R007, MK-SP004, AG-R004, MK-SP004, AG-R001

In the picture, starting at the top and moving to the bottom, the following beads and materials were used: MK-TN001A, KK021, AG-R002, KK021, MK-R008B, AG-R001

Amazonite earrings

These earrings have been made with Amazonite beads. Amazonite is a natural stone which usually comes in different shades of light aqua blue. The beads from our collection show a slight variation in colour, which ranges from blue to brown. We always aim to send you a varied lot.
For this set of earrings I have used 3 different types of beads, 2 round sizes and one rondelle bead. The blue and brown shades of the Amazonite are accentuated beautifully by the bronze-coloured details. Finally, the Art Nouveau ear hooks complete the look!

What do you need for 1 pair of Amazonite earrings?

• 2 round Amazonite beads, size 14 mm
• 2 round Amazonite beads, size 8 mm
• 2 rondelle Amazonite beads, size 12x8 mm
• 2 bronze headpins, size 50 mm
• 4 bronze filigree bead caps for the rondelle beads
• 4 bronze flowerpetal bead caps for the 14 mm beads
• 2 small bronze lantern beads to place at the bottom
• 1 pair of Art Nouveau style ear hooks

How do you proceed?
Take a 50 mm headpin and place in the following order:
1 bronze lantern bead, 1 8 mm Amazonite bead, 1 flowerpetal bead cap, 1 14 mm Amazonite bead, 1 flowerpetal bead cap, 1 filigree bead cap, 1 12x8 mm Amazonite rondelle bead, 1 filigree bead cap.
Cut off the headpin and try to bend the eyelet as close to the last bead cap as possible.

The pendant is finished.

The eyelets of the Art Nouveau ear hooks can be folded down, which makes it easier to attach the pendant to the ear hook.

The Amazonite earrings are finished!

Items

Earring hooks Art Nouveau style antique bronze OH011

Headpin bronze 50 mm NS-B001

Bead metal bronze lantern 6x5 mm MK-LT001

Bead cap metal flower gold 11x10 mm KK014

Filligree beadcaps antique bronze 10 mm KK027

Amazonite rondelle beads 12x8 mm AMZ-RD001

Amazonite beads round 14 mm AMZ-R002

Amazonite beads round 8 mm AMZ-R001