– I wanted to use gemstone chips to make some earrings. The simpler way is to stack them onto a simple ear wire with a hammered end.
Unfortunately, most chips have very small holes and the garnet chips were the only ones that would fit. The other option is to wrap them around the ear wire like some previous earrings I made with small rondelles.
In order to prevent the beads from slipping out the other end, I hammered the curve slightly (after I took this picture).
The stacked chips idea didn’t quite work but I liked it, so I made a couple more earrings with the same feel but using glass rondelles.
These two examples have a different feel because the rondelles are all the same size and shape, creating a much tidier par of earrings, unlike the chips that give the piece a rougher, more natural and casual look. They still look good, though.
The red ones are my favorite of the two. The underside of the beads has an AB coating so they change color between a lighter or darker red according to the light.
