Earrings in an hour!

Transfer the Template onto a flat piece

of 20- or 22-gauge (0.8 or 0.6 mm) copper.
Line up the flat ends of the design with a
straight edge of the copper. Attach the design
to one piece of copper with rubber cement.
Place double-sided tape on the back of one
piece of copper, and place it on top of a
second piece of copper, or tape the two pieces
together with clear packing tape. Saw out
the smaller, inner section of the design.

by Annie Pennington

Saw out the outside of the design,

making sure to saw just outside
of the line.

Remove the paper template,

separate the two pieces of copper,
and file the inside edges with a half-round file,
making sure to remove all saw marks. After the saw
marks are removed, use a half-round needle file to
remove all marks left from the larger half-round file.

File the outside edge with a flat

file to remove all of the saw
marks. Use a flat needle file to
remove the larger files marks. Repeat
for the second earring.

NOTE: After you file the edges flat,
use needle files to file at an angle to
the edge of the copper on both sides
to remove burs left from sawing.
Start with 220-grit sandpaper, and
sand the edges with progressively
finer grits of sandpaper. Repeat for
the second earring.

On a steel bench block, use

a narrow cross peen-hammer to strike the outside edge
of the copper in a radiating
pattern. This stretches the
outside edge, and makes the
narrow ends begin to curve
together. Repeat to texture
both sides of each earring.

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Make a divot with an awl or center punch in the tip of one

narrow end of each earring. Drill a hole at the mark with
a #47 (1.99 mm/0.079 in.) drill bit. Use 220-grit sandpaper to
remove the burs left from drilling.

Grip the narrow end of the copper without the hole in the
tips of a pair of roundnose pliers, and bend the narrow end
into a loop. Make 1 turns. Repeat for the second earring, but
make sure to bend the loop in
the opposite direction.

Place one jaw of the roundnose

pliers in the loop, and one jaw just
below the loop on the flat side of the
earring. Bend the loop so that it is
centered on the earring. Repeat for
the second earring.

Cut a 2 in. (64 mm) piece of half-hard sterling silver wire.

Make a plain loop in one end. Hammer the loop and
approximately in. (19 mm) of the wire next to the loop flat
with the flat face of a chasing hammer.

11

10

Measure in. (13 mm) up

from the top of the plain
loop, and make a mark with a
fine-tip permanent marker.
Center the mark on a mandrel,
and bend the wire into a U shape.

Open the plain loop, and

attach it through the hole
of an earring. Close the loop. Grab
the long end of the ear wire with
a pair of flatnose pliers in line with
the copper loop. Make a 90 bend
in the wire, and trim the end to
in. (6.5 mm). Make adjustments as
necessary so that the earring
dangles freely.
[12] Round the ends of the ear wire
with a cup bur, or smooth with a
file and sandpaper. Make a second
ear wire and attach it to the second
earring.

TEMPLATE
Whenever you see
this icon , theres a
BONUS video
demonstrating the
technique online at
www.artjewelry
mag.com/videos.

www.ArtJewelryMag.com