LEFT EARRING:
- 15/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- 8/0 seed beads Toho "Antique Bronze" (223)
- ZoliDuo beads "Lazure Blue"
- SuperDuo beads "Opaque Green Senegal Matte"
- 4mm druks "Bronze"
RIGHT EARRING:
- 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
- 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
- ZoliDuo beads "Lazure Blue"
- SuperDuo beads "Opaque Green Senegal Matte"
- 4mm druks "Bronze"
It all started when I saw a pair of earrings on Facebook that Jeanie Callaghan had made. I hadn't seen the design before so I asked her if there was a pattern for them. She told me that she had figured out how to make them on her own after seeing THIS photo on Etsy. In Cindy's description below her photo, she mentioned that she adapted them from a pattern by Teresa Morse. So, I went to Teresa's Etsy shop and found the bracelet pattern that inspired Cindy's earrings. You'll find her "Juliet Bracelet" pattern for sale HERE. There is no earring pattern but they should be pretty easy to make if you have the bracelet pattern as a guide. I was able to figure them out by looking at the photos. Perhaps after reading this post, Teresa will consider making an earring pattern to go with her bracelet. I will let you know if she does.
UPDATE: I've been told by Jeanie that I have the sequence of events incorrect. Here is what actually happened: I saw a photo of Jeanie's earrings on Facebook. I asked her if there was a pattern available for making them. She said that she had figured out how to make them from a photo that she had seen on Pinterest. So, I wandered over to Jeanie's Pinterest board called "Beady Things" and I found the photo that she had mentioned. There is a watermark on the photo that says "Cinful Beads" and I knew that was the logo for Cindy's Etsy shop and clicking the link on Pinterest took me there. Even though Cindy has already sold that pair of earrings her listing is still visible on Etsy so I was able to read her description. In the description for Cindy's earrings, she mentioned that she was inspired by Teresa Morse. I know that Teresa Morse has an Etsy shop called "IceniBeads" so I popped over there to see if I could track down the pattern that inspired Cindy. I didn't find an earring pattern, but I did find Teresa's "Juliet Bracelet" pattern and Bob's your uncle. So now you know the true story of how these earrings came to be.
I didn't know when I started making these if they would work best with Toho or Miyuki seed beads. Cindy said that she used Toho seed beads so that's what I tried first. The earring on the left in all of my photos is the one with Toho beads. The earring on the right was made with Miyuki seed beads and you can see that they work just as well. The Miyuki earrings come out slightly smaller and the point at the bottom of the earrings doesn't hang down as much as the one with Toho beads. With either brand, don't pull the beadwork too tight or you might cause the earrings to cup. If you use a light tension, they should lay flat. They will be soft earrings but they hang nicely.
I will be blogging about three more colorways over the next few days and here is a sample of a colorway that I've decided not to make into a pair of earrings:
- 15/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
- 8/0 seed beads Miyuki "Dark Bronze" (457)
- ZoliDuo beads "Jet"
- SuperDuo beads "Lustre Gold"
- 4mm druks "Bronze"
Oh boy, are they pretty!!
ReplyDeleteLove the colors and the golden edging!
Thank you, Bella.
DeleteThanks for the mention, Linda. I think next time I'll try a 4mm in the center. I look forward to seeing you other colorways!
ReplyDeleteHi Cindy. Thanks for the earring inspiration. I probably never would have thought to make earrings based on Teresa's bracelet if I hadn't seen your photo.
DeleteI believe I said I saw the picture on Pinterest, not Etsy. After making them, I found the bracelet pattern - also on Pinterest. You are an exceptionally good detective when it comes to finding patterns! Your color choices are lovely, as always. Looking forward to seeing more versions.
ReplyDeleteHa ha, Jeanie. I guess that I lost track of the convoluted series of events leading up to me making these earring. I will make the necessary corrections to my post.
DeleteCheck out my update above, Jeanie. I think I've covered all of the bases.
DeleteLooking at sources for Zoliduo beads, I see that they come in "right" and "left". Do these beads differ on each side, that you need to order both types, or can they just be turned over?
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll post a list of places to buy them. I haven't really shopped around for them so I'll have to go on a bead hunt. They are not reversible which is why you have to buy right and left beads. They are flat on the bottom and rounded on the top. There is another similar bead called PaisleyDuo that IS reversible but I've never used them. They are flat on both sides which might be nice for some designs but they don't have the same pretty look as ZoliDuos. They look kind of chunky to me.
Delete