These earrings are made from hammered silver wire wrapped around a mandrel into a circular shape. Gold pearls and headpins are added and connected to leverback earrings using jump rings. The document provides detailed instructions over several steps to create either medium or large circular earrings using basic jewelry tools and materials like silver wire, gold beads, and jump rings.

1. 1
Orbital Earrings
Judy Larson
A marriage of gold and silver, plus a lot of
hammering, makes these beautiful earrings.
For a different look, change the wire color
and gemstones.
A medium and large size are shown.
Materials:
20 gauge round dead soft silver wire
One pair of leverback earrings
Two 2” gold headpins
Two 8mm gold pearls-large hoop or Two 6mm
gold pearls-medium hoop
Two 8mm gold jump rings
Two 6mm gold jump rings
Two 4mm gold jump rings
Tools:
Flat, bent and chain nose pliers
Flush Cutter
Ruler
Hammer and bench block
¾” mandrel or dowel (blue) for large hoop
earrings or 5/8” mandrel or dowel (copper) for
the medium hoop earrings
Directions:
Step 1: Working from the wire spool, wrap the wire around the
appropriate size mandrel 4½ times. Leave a 9” wire tail for the
large hoop earrings or a 7” wire tail for the medium hoop
earrings.
Step 2: Wrap the wire from the
beginning of the coil several times
around the coil. Wrap the wire tail
tightly around the wire coil. Hint: Push
the wire through the center of the unit to
avoid kinks in your wrap wire. There
should be no wire left when you are done. You
do not need to be neat and even with this step.
No two finished rings will be exactly alike.

2. 2
Step 3: Now for the fun part: Place the wrapped wire coil on the
bench block and hammer it flat. Put some muscle into it-this is a
great way to get rid of
frustration! Just make
sure that both rings are
evenly flattened. Note:
You may have to cut off
the ends of the wrapped
wire if they stick out after
hammering.
The photo to the right
shows rings before and
after hammering.
Step 4: Insert a headpin into one gold pearl.
Create a wire wrapped loop at the top.
Repeat with the other pearl.
Step 5: Find the area on each ring that seems
to have the least wire wrapping.
Step 6: Open one 8mm jump ring, slide on one pearl and then
enclose a hammered ring in the circle. Close the jump ring.
Repeat with the other jump ring.
Step 7: Attach a 6mm jump ring to the 8mm jump ring on one
earring and then slide the hole in the earring onto the jump
ring. Slide the bottom loop of one earwire onto the jump ring.
Close the jump ring. Repeat with the other earring.
Your simple yet elegant earrings are done!