Your Earrings Don't Match!!

You have style and panache and everybody knows it; but what would they say if you showed up at an elegant dinner affair with earrings that don't match? A discrete friend might drag you aside to point out your faux pax. An envious acquaintance might rush to embarrass you in front of your friends. But those with true creative fashion sense will know your look is artsy/funky/fabulous. Just like you, mismatched earrings are artsy and funky indeed. And like you, they are truly fabulous because you create them following your own rules. Mismatched earrings are all about you.

Your Tools

If you are even a casual jewelry maker, you already have the basic tools: pliers, wire cutters and round-nosed pliers. You may also have a hammer and block to flatten your wire for a different look; but don't worry if you don't, hammering is optional.

Your Materials

An assortment of beads in the same color

Wire of your choice

Earwires

Your Bead Stash

If you've been creating beaded earrings for a while, you probably have a bead stash. Yours could be row upon row of neat, little stacked compartments with beads lined up by color or shape or translucency. It could be a big bag of beads mixed and mingling together in a colorful blur? What your bead stash says about your personal organizational skills is inconsequential. The important thing is its bead content, the colors, the shapes, the pairs, singles and strands, whether neat or messy, mixed or matched,

To create your perfect pair of mismatched but artsy/funky/fabulous earrings, first decide on your color. As the first photo shows, black is as perfect a color as any. Then search your bead stash for every black bead you can find. You don't have to use every bead you select; but put them all in a little pile for design inspiration.

Your Wire Choice

You will need wire to create a mix of shapes for your earrings. If you are a precious metals person, choose Silver. It's shiny and bright and goes with just about anything. Or perhaps you'd prefer gold, with a deep sunshine color and an artisan tradition reaching back to ancient civilizations. Silver and gold are beautiful and also expensive; but for a pair of earrings that stands out in a crowd, they're worth the price.

For an economic alternative, copper is a popular choice these days. Its deep metallic-brown shade presents a perfect contrast against any skin color. Like a living thing, copper changes, darkening to an array of 'antique' tones. You may keep them that way or dip your copper jewelry in a natural solution of lemon juice and salt to restore it's color.

Your Wire Shapes

Begin your mismatched earrings by creating the wire shapes of your choice. If you are an avid wire-worker, you already know how to create coils and swirls, zig-zags, figure eights and loops. Create those and more; then stretch your creative muscle to make up a few shapes no one has ever seen before.

If you're not skillful at creating wire shapes, simply experiment with an economic, composite craft wire available in many craft stores. Play with it. Form shapes until you're bored with the process or comfortable with the technique; then switch to the wire of your choice.

You don't have to hammer your wire shapes; but hammering them flat will give your pieces a different look and the process will make soft wire shapes a bit more sturdy.

Your Rules

When you create mix-n-match earrings there is no right or wrong. You decide what beads to add, what shapes to use, and in what order to arrange them; and you can do that however you please because they don't have to match. The only rule is that both pairs should be the same length.

Your Decision

While you were creating your wire shapes, hopefully your beads weren't just sitting there. Perhaps they inspired you to select the perfect set of complementary beads to include in your mismatched earrings.

-Choose two to three beads per earring.

-Choose more if you want. It's up to you; but remember the more beads, the heavier the earrings.

-Build your earrings one wire shape or one bead at a time.

-Begin by adding the wire shape of your choice to each ear-wire. Your first choice could be a loop for the right side and a figure eight for the left side. Whatever shape you choose, make certain it's big enough to dangle other shapes from its bottom.

-If you created a lot of wire shapes, remember you don't have to use them all. Use only the shapes you want and save the rest for a second or third pair.

-Build your earrings, adding shapes and color-coordinated beads as you decide.

-Figure eights are great for connecting shapes together.

-Don't be tempted by conformity; remember your earrings aren't supposed to match. You can have a swirl at the top on one side and a loop at the top of the other.

A Few Additional Tips
-For tips on creating jewelry with wire, check out Creating Unique Handcrafted Jewelry With Wire

-Once you get the hang of mix-n-match earrings, you may want to purchase charms to enhance your next pair.

-Keep working with wire and you will develop enough skill to create charms of your own.

-If you work with a jeweler's saw, try cutting your own charms, little hearts or flowers add a perfect touch.

-If you have a tumbler or other mass finisher, tumble your finished earrings for a professional looking shine.

Check out these Artsy/Funky/Fabulous Pictures for additional instructions.