As you may know, I enjoy refashioning bits of vintage jewelry into new necklaces. Here's an easy way to turn an old clip-on earring into a cute necklace. Most antique shops have lots of bright blingy earrings for sale for between 4 and 10 dollars. If you buy a pair, you can make one necklace for yourself and one for a friend. I try to look for bags of junk jewelry pieces to use for these projects as a cheaper option, although they can be hard to find. This is a great way to use an orphan earring!
Materials:
Old clip-on earring
Wire cutters
Two part epoxy glue
Filigree backing
Toothpick
Jumpring
Small nosed pliers
Chain or leather cord
Step 1 - Turn the earring upside down. Bend the clip part forward to loosen it as much as possible from the backing. Use a strong wire cutter to snip off the clip. Be sure to wear eye protection when doing this.
Step 2 - On some scrap paper, squeeze out a small amount of epoxy. Use a toothpick to blend the two parts together.
Step 3 - Use the toothpick to carefully put the epoxy on the edge of the earring and the edge of the filigree. Put the pieces together. Let it set without moving for about 10 minutes (check the set time on the directions of the epoxy).
Step 4 - Use a small nosed pliers to add a jump ring through the filigree. Put the chain or leather cord through the jump ring. Tada - your earring is now a necklace!
I bought the filigree pieces for the backing at Munros in Berkley, although I've also purchased it at bead shows. I also get leather cords at Munros - if you buy a package of 10 they cost about a dollar each. I buy packages of dog chains at Lobby Hobby using their 40% off coupons. The dog chains are nice because you can clip them to any length you desire.
2 comments:
I enjoyed seeing how you do this, Karen! The results are beautiful. I might even try it myself :).
Great idea. I often see earrings like this at the thrift store.
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