How to make beaded creole earrings

Learn how to make easy beaded creole earrings with our easy step-by-step tutorial and photo guide!

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Holly Spanner

Published: April 24, 2021 at 5:00 am

These quick and easy hoop earrings are the ideal way to use up all the odd beads you have left over from other projects. Choose seed beads that match the colours of the larger beads and you won’t even have to try too hard to create your own colourways!

This type of earring is known as creole earrings – a pretty shape that looks equally good dressed down with a summer t-shirt or glammed up to set off a pretty cocktail dress. If you're looking to sell your makes - make the delicas beads decoration as an individual pendant for a matching necklace for a chance to upsell your jewellery as a set.

These beaded creole earrings also make ideal gifts - grab some kraft card, snip into a square and thread earring through for an ultra-quick, eco-friendly way to gift your creole earrings.

Looking for more awesome jewellery making tutorials? Check out this article on how to make tassel earrings, or how about this gorgeous cross-stitch necklace for something a bit different, and we love this bead weaving necklace tutorial! (pictured above)

We love seeing what you make, so don’t forget to share your craft projects with us on Facebook and Twitter, too!

To make these beaded creole earrings you will need:

8 x 6mm firepolish round glass beads (4 in transparent mauve and 4 in cobalt blue - 2 of each per earring)
2 x 8mm briolette beads (the big pink one at the base)
Size 11 seed beads, galvanised silver, matte lilac, opaque pink
Size 11 delicas, pale lilac AB
50cm (45in) of 0.6mm silver-plated wire
50cm (45in) of 0.3mm silver-plated wire
Two silver-plated earring wires
Jewellery tools
Nylon jaw flat-nose pliers

How to make beaded creole earrings

Size

2.5cm wide by 5.5cm (1 x 2¼in) drop excluding earring wires

Step 1

How to make beaded creole earrings

To make your beaded creole earrings, cut two 25cm (10in) lengths of 0.6mm wire. Bend at right angles 3cm (1¼in) from end. Hold at the bend and wrap the short tail around to make a loop. Rotate pliers and bring the tail around at right angles to the main wire. Wrap twice; trim the short tail.

Step 2

How to make beaded creole earrings

Pick up the large bead sequence, adding a silver seed bead before and after each bead. Bend the wire 3mm (¹⁄8in) below the wrapping, then bring around to create a 5cm (2in) loop. Bend long tail at right angles where wires cross.

Step 3

How to make beaded creole earrings

Hold the wires where they cross, then wrap the short tail around twice to fill in the gap below the wrapped loop. Trim the tail neatly so that it looks like one continuous wrapping.

Step 4

How to make beaded creole earrings

Cut the 0.4mm wire in half and straighten with the nylon jaw pliers. Wrap one end twice around the thicker wire about half way down one side of an earring. Pick up 16 pale lilac AB delicas and position inside the loop. Wrap the wire around twice at the other end.

Step 5

How to make beaded creole earrings

Pick up 17 pale lilac AB delicas and secure below the first row with two turns of the wire, as before. Continue adding a row of silver, then two rows of lilac beads, adding more beads to each row to allow for the creole earring shaping.

Step 6

How to make beaded creole earrings

Continue adding rows of beads filling the gap up to the larger beads at the bottom. Take the wire back through the bottom row of beads, then trim the tail. Make another earring, then add an earring wire to each top loop to finish your beaded creole earrings.

How to make beaded creole earrings

Once you’ve made your DIY tassel earrings, be sure to tag us in a picture on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. We’d love to see the finished result!

Staff Writer, BBC Science Focus

Holly is the Staff Writer for BBC Science Focus and looks after the popular Q&A section. She holds an MSc (distinction) in Geoscience (Space and Climate Physics) from UCL, and specialises in astronomy and earth sciences. Before joining Our Media, she worked as a geoenvironmental consultant and engineer, informing on ground risk and remediation in the north of England, while hunting for exoplanets in her spare time. Alongside this, she was regional editor of a popular theatre website for nine years, and has a solid background in curating and developing content for the digital space. Holly is also an artist and illustrator, and regular contributor to the craft website, Gathered. She has previously worked with the RSPB, English Heritage, Disney, Pilot and Brother, as well as on BBC Good Food magazine, Home Style magazine, and Papercraft inspirations magazine. She enjoys photography and has a sustained interest in antiques.