Michaels - Earrings VISUAL project guide: step-by-step instructions for 30 gorgeous designs

Earrings VISUAL Project Guide Copyright 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions . Wiley, the Wiley logo, Teach Yourself VISUALLY, and related trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and/or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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John Wiley & Sons, Inc., also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Not all content that is available in standard print versions of this book may appear or be packaged in all book formats. If you have purchased a version of this book that did not include media that is referenced by or accompanies a standard print version, you may request this media by visiting http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit us at www.wiley.com . Library of Congress Control Number: 2012948551 ISBN: 978-1-118-08344-4 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-118-23665-9; 978-1-118-26159-0; 978-1-118-22275-1 (ebk) Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Book production by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Composition Services Updates to this book and the design templates are available on the Downloads tab at this site: www.wiley.com/go/earringsvisualprojectguide. Credits Acquisitions Editor Pam Mourouzis Senior Project Editor Donna Wright Copy Editor Emily Hinkel Technical Editor Marti Icenogle Editorial Manager Christina Stambaugh Vice President and Publisher Cindy Kitchel Vice President and Executive Publisher Kathy Nebenhaus Interior Design Kathie Rickard
Elizabeth Brooks Photography Chris Franchetti Michaels
Matt Bowen About the Author Chris Franchetti Michaels is a writer and jewelry artisan specializing in beaded designs, wirework, and metal fabrication.

She is the author of several popular craft books, including Teach Yourself VISUALLY Jewelry Making & Beading, More Teach Yourself VISUALLY Jewelry Making, and Teach Yourself VISUALLY Beadwork. Chris has appeared on several episodes of the DIY Network television show Jewelry Making and is the Guide to Beadwork on About.com. Visit her Website www.beadjewelry.net for more help and inspiration. Acknowledgments To everyone who worked on this book, I owe a big thank you. Special thanks to Pam Mourouzis and Donna Wright, who managed to keep everything on track and organized. Emily Hinkels and Marti Icenogles fresh eyes were truly invaluable.

Matt Bowen not only photographed the earrings and tools in this book, but photo edited my own attempts at the project steps. As always, thanks to my agent, Marilyn Allen, for her continued encouragement, and to Dennis for his patience and support. Chapter 1 Getting Started In this introductory chapter, youll learn the benefits of crafting your own earrings, what to think about when creating custom designs, and which tools and supplies you need to complete the projects in this book. Design Considerations for Earrings Handmade earring designs can be customized in limitless ways. While reading this book, you may think of interesting ways to vary the projects, and you may even be inspired to develop your own designs from scratch. Here are some tips for successful custom earring design.

Earring Weight The weight of the components you use to make an earring is important for two reasons: Heavy earrings can cause discomfort by pulling your earlobes, and may even stretch them over time. Depending on an earrings shape, its weight contributes to how well it stays positioned on your ear. This is especially true for post and clip-on earrings, where extra weight can cause earrings to tip forward when you wear them. Earring safety Avoid shapes or configurations that may be prone to snagging on clothing or other items. Also take care to file wire ends to prevent them from scratching skin, especially with wires that pass through pierced ears. Learn how to file wire ends properly in the section File Wire in Chapter 2.

Metal Types Some metals are prone to causing skin sensitivity. This is an important consideration for ear wires because they come into such close contact with skinparticularly if you have skin allergies or make earrings for someone who may. Learn more in the section Select Wire for Earrings in Chapter 2. A variety of earring types Reasons to Make Your Own Earrings If you love earrings, that may be reason enough to start making them. But there are also practical reasons to become your own earring designer. Coordinate Designs with Your Wardrobe When you shop for earrings, it can be difficult to find the perfect styles, sizes, and colors to coordinate with your unique wardrobe.

Once you have the skills to make your own earrings, you can select colors and textures that enhance your ensembles and best communicate your style. Select Your Own Metals Many affordable, store-bought earrings have ear wires made from mystery metals. You know that they are silver colored, gold colored, or antiqued, but you may not know whether they contain nickel (a common skin irritant) or lead (which is potentially toxic), or whether they have thin platings that are bound to wear off over time. When you make earrings, you can select metals that meet your needs and standards. Experiment with New Techniques Earring projects are great for experimenting with new jewelry making techniques without making big commitments. The techniques you learn are transferrable to an endless variety of larger-scale projects, such as bracelets and necklaces.