"Rock Candy" Hoop Earrings

Good morning, readers!  Today I am sharing an earring DIY project. It's an easy way to turn boring hoop earrings into Rock Candy inspiration!

Here is what you'll need:

-wire, gauge 26 (the smaller the gauge number the bigger the wire so 26 is very thin. you can use any gauge that will fit through your beads)

-hoop earrings

-beads (I used bi-cone, but round will also work)*

-pliers

I started by twisting the wire tightly around the very top of the hoop, closest to the post.  I wrapped the wire over itself to ensure it wouldn't move.  I then added a bead and wrapped around the hoop, moving away from the post.  I continued to the middle of the hoop, although you can do the entire earring (I just ran out of beads!).  This doesn't have to be done perfectly since the look is supposed to be messy.  If there are any beads that aren't facing forward, gently pull them forward with the pliers.  

Then at the bottom, I tucked the last piece of wire inwards and under the other wire pieces. If your bead hole is big enough, you can put the wire end back through the bead hole in the other direction.  This is just so it doesn't scratch you.

Sorry about the poor quality of this picture.  It's impossible to take a picture of yourself doing something with both hands without a tripod!  Anyway, you will see that I am tucking the end around into a circle so the sharp edge facing another piece of wire, again so not to scratch your neck.  

And that's it!  The nice thing is this look is messy and not meant to be perfect (as opposed to traditional wire wrapping), so even if you mess up no one will know :)  Also, it's easy to move the beads around to get them to cluster since the wire is very malleable.  Hope you enjoy!

*I would suggest not using clear beads since it doesn't really hide the wire properly, as you can see in the picture above.  Silver beads will probably work best, if you're using silver wire. I also did this with smaller hoops and a light gray bead, which look great.