Ok, so I know that most of us need
something fun and easy as
a distraction right now.
Normally I would wait until closer to May the 4th for
a post like this,
but with the need for people to flatten the curve
and social
distancing . . .
I think a few of us might be in need of a project.
So I present to you:
How to make your own lightsaber
earrings, a tutorial
First, the supplies:
Per pair of earrings, you will need:
- Basic wire/ jewelry skills
- Assorted Pliers & jewelry tools (I used Round Nosed pliers and Wire Cutters, you could also use Flat Nosed pliers)
- 2 Long headpins (1 ½ - 2 in)
- 2 smooth roundel beads in preferred metal finish
- 2 long-ish, large bore metal spacer beads (mine are roughly 3/8in long, with filigree designs) The hole must be large enough to fit over the tube beads so that the blade can be inset in the hilt.
- Tube beads, the longer the better, in your preferred blade color as well as some smaller ones to fill the spacer. I needed at least 2 to 3 for each blade, plus another 1 – 2 shorter ones inside the spacer.
- Your preferred earring wire (or bale, if you want a pendant instead)
- Christmas Light Beads; these are a colored plastic bulb in a black “rubber” socket which is important, because we only need the socket piece for these.
Step 1:
- Slide 1 roundel onto the headpin. Make sure you check that the hole in the roundel won’t slip over the head of the headpin. Add 1 or 2 shorter tube beads (just long enough to almost fill the spacer bead) and your longer tube beads to make up the blade. Leave about 1/4in of the wire to make the loop at the top (to attach the ear wire).
Step 2:
- Remove the rubber cap from the Christmas Light beads. I had to cut the flange off of mine, regular nippers or wire cutters work fine for this. This also allowed me to trim them to the right length for my earrings.
Step 3:
- Slide spacer bead onto headpin. The bottom hole should slide over the tube beads to stand on the roundel bead. Add the cut rubber cap. It should sit nicely on top of the spacer. I chose not to glue these pieces together because gravity keeps them nicely in place. Use your Round Nosed pliers to bend the tip of the headpin into a small loop.
Step 3:
- Slide spacer bead onto headpin. The bottom hole should slide over the tube beads to stand on the roundel bead. Add the cut rubber cap. It should sit nicely on top of the spacer. I chose not to glue these pieces together because gravity keeps them nicely in place. Use your Round Nosed pliers to bend the tip of the headpin into a small loop.
And here is the finished earring:
Don’t be afraid to mix and match your colors.
Classic lightsabers
tended to be blue, green or red,
but you can pick any color you’d like.
I even
made Hunny a set in purple.
Enjoy, and may the force be with us all. - Vixi
