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projectlibrary

Pea Pod Earrings

By Lindsay Burke of FusionBeads.com
Seed beads woven with fine wire and make your own earwires.

MATERIALS:
Opaque Green Yellow Luster Japanese size 11
seed beads, 2 grams
20-gauge sterling half hard wire, 21-24
28-gauge fine silver wire, 8-10

TOOLS:
All photos courtesy of the author.

Round nose pliers

Chain nose pliers
Flush cutters
Triangle-shaped metal file
Sharpie

RESOURCES:
All materials from FusionBeads.com

Make a pair of earrings that have the feel of a fresh

garden with these pea pod earrings. Combine seed
beads and wire in this perfect crossover project.
Finished size: 2 1/2

TECHNIQUES:
Wirework, wirewrapping, beading.

Copyright Interweave Not to be reprinted. All rights reserved.

page 1

publishers of Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazine . . . join the online beading community at www.BeadingDaily.com

Pea Pod Earrings

Step 1: Cut a 6 1/2 piece of 20g wire. With a Sharpie,
mark a point 3 1/2 from one end of the wire.

Step 4: Make a spiral with both ends of the wire. Each

spiral should be about two and a half to three
turns.

Step 1

Step 2: Lay the wire on the work surface, and place one
of the edges of the metal file on the Sharpie
mark. Move the file back and forth across the
wire until you have filed away a V-shaped
groove.

Step 4

Step 5: Cut a 4piece of the 28g wire. Anchor it to the

longer wire right above the spiral with three
coils.

Step 2

Step 3: Bend the wire at the groove. Creating the Vshaped groove creates a tight bend in the wire.
Step 5

Step 6: Bind the two wires together with the 28g wire
with four wraps that go around both pieces of
20g wire. This will complete the basic pea pod
shape.

Step 3

Step 6
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publishers of Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazine . . . join the online beading community at www.BeadingDaily.com

Pea Pod Earrings

Step 7: Add a bead. Bring the wire over the top of the
pea pod, laying the seed bead in between the
two wires.

Step 10: Continue repeating Steps 8-9 varying the

number of seed beads, depending on how
many fit in between the two pieces of wire.

Step 7

Step 10

Step 8: Wrap the wire around the longer side of the pea
pod once, and bring the wire back down behind
the pea pod. Wrap the wire once around the
smaller side of the pea pod.

Step 11: Once you have filled in the majority of the pea
pod with about a 1/4 of wire left, coil the
wire around the longer side of the pea pod.

Step 11
Step 8

Step 9: Add two beads. Bring the wire over the top of
the pea pod, laying the seed beads in between
the two wires.

Step 12: Continue wrapping over the point and down

the other side of the pea pod. Cut off the
excess wire and gently squeeze the coils with
the tips of your pliers to secure.

Step 12
Step 9
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publishers of Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazine . . . join the online beading community at www.BeadingDaily.com

Pea Pod Earrings

Step 13: .To make the
spiral earwire,
cut a 4 piece
of 20g wire.
Create a spiral
at the end of
it.

Step 16: With round nose pliers, bend the end of the
wire back slightly to put a small curve in it. Squeeze
the spiral against the wire with the chain nose pliers.
This will leave a loop under the spiral to dangle the
pea pod.

Step 13

Step 14: .Grasp the wire directly underneath the spiral

with round nose pliers. Pull the other end of
the wire up. This will form the wire around the
round nose pliers creating a space to dangle
the pea pod.
Step 16

Add the pea pods to the earwires.

Step 14

Step 15: Use a Sharpie or another mandrel to shape the

hook part of the earwire around. Hold the wire
with your thumb against the Sharpie. Pull the
wire down and around the pen, shaping it
around to create a hook. Cut the earwire at
Step 4
desired length.

Step 15
Copyright Interweave. Not to be reprinted. All rights reserved.

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publishers of Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazine . . . join the online beading community at www.BeadingDaily.com