So lately I have been really interested in learning how to make ear Cuffs. I can't believe I have been making jewelry for several years now and until recently the idea of making them never crossed my mind - what was I thinking?! Cuffs are trendy and sexy and vary widely as far as size and shape. The design seems simple enough, but when I tried making one for the first time I ran into some issues and realized it's harder than it looks.
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First of all, you have to get the "cuff" part (or prongs if you will) the right size. The shape can vary a little depending on whether or not you want a round prong or square one, but the length of each prong is important. If they're too small, the cuff will not fit around the ear. On the other hand if they're too big the cuff will not fit right and will appear to hang off the ear or even completely fall off. So.......I started experimenting with a 20g soft Wire to practice. After my first couple of tries I felt a little more comfortable and ended up moving up to a thicker gauge of wire, and I came up with this (sterling silver and Swarovski crystal):
I think the thicker gauge of wire definitely holds the shape of the design better, although when you tighten the actual cuff part on your ear it's much harder to do than if you were to use a Smaller Gauge, so there are pros and cons to each. My next cuffs all use a smaller gauge of wire, but half hard so that they retain shape better and aren't as easily misshapen. Also a challenge for me was whether or not to bend the prongs as you're shaping the wire, or if that should be done when the entire piece is done. After a little looking around online I found a tutorial (http://www.bodyicingbyjennifer.com/tutorials/ear-cuff/index.htmlcuff/index.html) which I now use as a guide when forming the prongs. There's definitely a technique to making these, but they're fun and use minimal wire which can be expensive if you use silver and/or gold! Here are some designs I have just finished. They can all be found on my Etsy shop at http://www.lorinp1.etsy.com/.
This post first appeared on Liquid Silver Handmade Wire Wrapped Jewelry, please read the originial post: here
