DIY | Crystal Earrings

Floral Earrings with Genuine Crystal Beads by Preciosa

In this blog post, our designer Charlotte demontrates that a few beads and thread are enough to create a beautiful and exclusive look that will attract everybody's attention. First, you should familiarise yourself with the technique with our example no 1. After that, you can continue with the more advanced version further down in this blog article.  You can find Smyks' range of bicone crystal beads in two sizes and more than 40 different colours here. 

Crystal beads by Preciosa and Swarovski rank among the finest on the marked and are as good as identical in quality. But Swarovski has recently discontinued the production of the well-known bicone beads which are so popular among jewellery makers. That's why Smyks has replaced them with beads by the Czech brand Preciosa.
 

We used the following components to create these earrings:

• 15 Preciosa bicone crystals, 4mm, olive green
• 10 Preciosa bicone crystals, 4mm, amethyst
• Miyuki seed beads, 24 karat gold-plated, #11
• jumprings, open, 4x0.5mm gold-plated sterling silver
• 1 pair of earwires with spiral and loop, gold-plated
• FireLine, black, 6LB
• beading needle or wide-eye needle

Cut approx. 50cm to size. In our example, we use a wide-eye needle but you can also work with a beading needle. String alternately 5 green crystal beads and 5 seed beads. 

Tie a knot so the beads form a ring.

Leave an end thread of approx. 5cm and tie a double knot. 

String 1 crystal + 1 seed bead + 1 crystal. Skip 1 crystal and sew through the seed bead next to it.

Tighten the thread.

One more time you string 1 crystal + 1 seed bead + crystal, skip a crystal and sew through the seed bead next to it.

Tighten the thread.

Continue like this all the way around the ring. The picture shows how the last bead in this round is sewn on. 

Now you sew through the adjacent crystal and seed bead ... and you are ready to add the next round of beads.

String 1 purple crystal + 1 seed bead + 1 purple crystal ... and sew through the next seed bead in the outer circle. 

Tighten the thread.

Sew the next beads on ... in the same way.

Continue like this ... adding three beads at a time ... all around the circle. When the last beads are sewn on, sew through 3 beads (1 seed bead + 1 purple crystal + 1 seed bead).

Tighten the thread. Sew up the thread by sewing through random beads. Cut off the excess thread. Finally, you pull an open jumpring through one of the outer beads. Now you can attach the crystal flower to an earwire of your choice. 

Earrings with Preciosa Crystals and Seed Beads

We used the following components to assemble these earrings:

• 12 bicone crystals, 4mm, olive green
• Miyuki seed beads 24 karat gold-plated, #11
• 1 pair of earwires with spiral and ball, gold-plated sterling silver
• FireLine, black, 6LB
• beading needle or wide-eye needle

Cut approx. 60cm thread to size. In this example, we use a beading needle ... but you can also work with a wide-eye needle.

String 4 green crystal beads. 

Form a circle with the thread and tie a knot.

Tighten the thread and tie another knot. Then you sew through the bead next to the knot ... and the bead beside that one.

Now the thread comes out opposite the the knot. 

Thread 3 crystals and sew through the same bead the thread comes out of (see picture). 

Tighten the knot. Now there are 2 circles. Sew through the adjacent bead (in the new circle ... away from the knot).

Tighten the thread ... and turn your piece of needlework upside down.

String 3 crystals ... and sew through the bead the thread is coming out of - in order to form a circle. 

Tighten the thread. Now there are 3 circles. Sew through the adjacent bead (in the third circle.)

Continue through the bead beside it ...

... and the next bead. Now you are sewing towards the centre.

Continue through the next bead (away from the centre). See picture. 

String 2 crystals ... and sew through the bead on the right of the bead the thread comes out of. Sew top down in order to form a circle (see picture). 

Continue through the bead on the left of the bead the thread comes out of (see picture). Now there are 4 circles. 

Sew through the bead above.

Turn your piece of needlework, so you can sew from right to left. String a seed bead and sew through the crystal bead to the left.

String one more seed bead and sew through the next crystal bead. 

Continue sewing on seed beads between all the crystal beads on the edge. See picture. 

Skip one seed bead, sew through the next crystal ...

... and continue through the next crystal towards the centre. 

String a seed bead and sew through the crystal opposite the one the thread comes out of. Now the centre seed bead is sewn on. 

Continue through the crystal to the left and the next seed bead. 

Now the thread comes out of one the corner seed beads in the outer circle. 

String 4 seed beads. Skip one crystal and sew through the next seed bead.

Tighten the thread. The first seed bead curve is done. 

String two seed beads and sew through the last 2 seed beads in the curve. See picture. 

Tighten the thread. 

Sew back through the seed bead to the right. See picture.

String 3 seed beads. Skip a crystal and sew through the next seed bead in the outer circle. Now the second curve is done.

String 2 seed beads and sew through the last 2 seed beads in the curve. See picture. 

Sew back through the seed bead to the right. See picture.

Continue adding seed beads curves all the way around. When you add the last 3 seed beads, you sew through 2 seed beads.

Then you string 1 seed bead ... and sew through the last 2 seed beads in the last curve. 

Tighten the thread. Now all the curves are done. 

Sew through the seed bead to the left ...

.... and continue through the outer bead to the right. See picture. Now you are ready to sew on the last part of the pendant.

String 4 seed beads ... and sew through the same bead the thread comes out of - in order to form a circle. 

Tighten the thread ... and sew through the next seed bead.

String a seed bead ... and sew through the next seed bead.

String one more seed bead ... and sew through the next seed bead again.

One more time ... string a seed bead and sew through the next seed bead.

Tighten the thread. 

Skip one bead and sew through the one beside it. 

Skip 1 bead again ... and sew through the next 2 beads.

Tighten the thread.

String 4 seed beads and sew through the seed bead on top in order to form a circle. Sew around this circle one extra time before you sew back.

Sew downwards through the next seed bead. 

Skip one seed bead ... and sew downwards through the next one.

Continue through the next top bead.  Now the top of the earring is done. Continue sewing through beads and crystals in order to sew up the thread. Then you cut off the excess thread.

The pendant is done.
Finally, you take the earwire of your choice and pull its loop through the hole in the seed bead circle on top.

Earrings with Chain and Preciosa Crystals 

We used the following components to make these earrings:

• 12 bicone crystals, 3mm, Caribbean sea turquoise
• Miyuki seed beads, 24 karat gold-plated, #15
• 1 pair of earwires with ball, chain and peg, gold-plated sterling silver
• FireLine, white, 6LB
• beading needle or wide-eye needle

The procedure is the same as described above. But these earrings are smaller because they are made of bicone crystals with a diameter of 3mm and the tiny size #15 seed beads.