Does anyone know about making earrings?

Gafoto

So I'm interested in making some earrings for my girlfriend for her birthday. Specifically I want to make her some origami earrings. Here's an example of the kind of piece I'm trying to make. I just want to know what items I might need (besides the origami) to make such beasts? Is this feasible to do myself?

Esh

Gafoto wrote:

So I'm interested in making some earrings for my girlfriend for her birthday. Specifically I want to make her some origami earrings. Here's an example of the kind of piece I'm trying to make. I just want to know what items I might need (besides the origami) to make such beasts? Is this feasible to do myself?

Why not just ask the person who's making those how they did it? Barring that, spend the $15 and save yourself a huge headache.

EDIT: Or, spend $15 and reverse engineer them.

EDIT 2: Or Google up "earring making kit". Turns up tons of useful links.

Forbe!

Yes, it's pretty easy. The objects you are looking for are generically called 'findings', you can buy them at almost any chain craft store (Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Joann Fabrics in the US). Depending on what type of type of earring hoop your girlfriend prefers, and what type of metal would be ideal (make sure she doesn't have a nickel allergy, and go from there). Here's a link just to show you the different types, an 'ear wire' being the kind featured in the link you posted.

Connecting them to the origami can probably be as simple as making a small L shapped link that dangles off the hoop on the ear wire, and slipping it into the origami with a dab of glue on it.

ceres

Those are adorable and a great idea. If you have fingers nimble enough to make birds that small you will have absolutely no trouble posting them onto findings. While there are better tools out there, if this is a one-off thing you can do the whole thing with scissors and needle-nose pliers.

What Forbe! said about the earring posts, and you'll want to get posts to put through the cranes themselves, which is delicate work because you don't want to crush the birds. Be careful to get nickel-free metal, and you'll want sterling silver or good gold where possible. Avoid plating. The thing that goes through the bird is something else you will find at a craft store; I wouldn't do it with just beading wire or something because it won't be as sturdy.

Polyurethane is polyurethane, and that's something else they should be able to direct you to.

Basically, print out the picture nice and big and go to your local craft store. They will easily be able to point you to each individual component just by looking at the picture; I could grab them all now off the shelf of my local place and get to work, I just unfortunately can't name those stupid post things.

Good luck, and post a picture of the product if you can!

Bagginses

One little thing: check if your gf has allergies. Some people can only put gold through their ears.

MushroomStick

If you're worried about allergies, the material you're looking for is titanium.

LewieP's Mummy

They're beautiful!

You need:

a pair of these or these, a pair of these and some needlenose jewellery pliers, and then some origami paper.
I've spent hours in Joann's when on holiday in the US - here's their website.

Take your time, blu-tak is handy for keeping fiddly bits still.

ceres

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