DIY Tidepool Drop Earrings

A few months back I was walking down Lexington Avenue to hop on the train to go to work when these blue drop earrings outside a bodega-like jewelry shop caught my eye.

I'd been walking by this shop for almost two years and I'd never paused to look in the window. (Probably due to the fact that I spent my first year commuting to the subway via Razor Scooter. We moved offices in January and the scooter started to feel less convenient. :)) People always say you can live in a neighborhood of New York without ever discovering everything that it has to offer. In the past month I've discovered a new favorite Indian restaurant, a German beer hall, and these incredible earrings-- all within a 5 block radius.

At first glance the jewelry in the shop looks a little cheap and costume-y. Totally not worth the prices. But after a closer window inspection of a few pieces, there seemed to be a few really special pieces like these blue drop earrings.

After stopping by to look at the earrings every day or so, one weekend when I was reorganizing some beads I realized I actually had the supplies to make a similar pair of my own. With some blue glass beads from a For the Makers box, jewelry pliers, some wire, jump rings, ear wires, and tiny blue glass beads, I got to work.

First you need to make the headpin for the main blue bead. I did this by taking a piece of wire and putting a tiny seed bead at the base. (This makes sure that the main bead doesn't fall off the wire.) Then I made a loop at the top of the bead with wire and turned the wire around the base of the loop and cut the wire.

Next I used similar techniques and made the connecting beads' wires. First make a loop one one side of the wire and slip the bead onto the wire. Then repeat the same process. Make another loop with the wire and wrap the end of the wire around the base of the loop next to the bead.

To connect all of the beads, just use a couple jump rings. Make sure to open the jump rings horizontally to make sure you don't distort them.

Repeat this process until you've got your perfect length!

I wore these earrings for the first time when I was dog sitting for the most adorable little Lab in Brooklyn. It was a good weekend of pretending to have a dog. :)

Miss Molly. <3

These next few weeks I'm back into the rock projects so look out for those! <3