Kantalai Wrapped Chandelier Earrings Tutorial

*  Today I begin with my footnote because it introduces this project, and why I’m posting it. 

In junior high, I had a friend named Dan McDevitt.  Dan was a cool guy who liked to practice skateboarding tricks on public steps and railings around our town.  We came to expect new scrapes and Band-aids and funny stories that ended with him “completely wiped out!” and his skateboard rolling away.   He was sweet and goofy.

A few weeks into seventh grade, Dan started dating Tina.  Or I should say, Dan had the audacity to start dating Tina.  Tina was a really pretty girl and had already caught the attention of a big and burly popular eighth grade boy named Mike.  Surrounded by his popular eighth grade goons Mike threw down the gauntlet to Dan one day after school: “Man, I’m going to kick your —”

So Dan became a hunted man.  The eighth grade boys waited for him at recess and after school.  In the hallways, they shoved him into lockers and knocked the books out of his hands, shouting accusatory smack theorizing that he bought his clothes at Kmart loud, defacing insults.  So Dan adopted deer-in-hunting-season habits.  He would dodge behind walking herds of seventh grade girls, and suddenly duck into bathrooms and alcoves.  He also became suddenly helpful, taking on jobs of clapping erasers during recess and afterschool, and tutoring LD students during lunch.

This went on for a few months.  Even after Dan and Tina broke up, the eighth grade boys kept him on their Most Wanted List, probably just out of boredom or sport.

One cold and overcast January morning, the seventh grade class filed into the school gym to hear campaign speeches by a few of our fellow classmates, and then vote for next year’s Student Government Association’s council.  While we ran our election, the eighth grade class took a field trip to the high school to watch a production of Brigadoon. 

Sitting in our Keds and concert T-shirts, we listened as nine nervous seventh graders read speeches off of rumpled notebook paper.  Popular cheerleaders (who didn’t need to campaign – they were already elected because they were popular cheerleaders –  just as in one of those unjust “democratic” elections where a dictator is re-elected and even happens to secure 100% of the votes) chirped campaign promises like, “No School Fridays!” and “a new dress code because stores don’t even carry skirts that come to mid-thigh, right?” 

Last to speak, nervously shifting in his folding chair, was Dan McDevitt.  He was one of those rare kids that would be great in SGA.  He was competent and creative, smart, pulled-together (for a seventh-grader) and would do an excellent job deciding on important issues like the theme for our next after-school dance.  When it was his turn, Dan slowly walked to the microphone and adjusted it.  The microphone wailed with feedback for a second, and then all was quiet.  At first he spoke apprehensively, like he may have to brace for a punch in the arm at any second.  But as he read through his speech, he slowly relaxed.  He was good at public speaking and soon showed the poise that he naturally had, buried under months of timidity.

By the end, Dan was standing straight, confidently addressing his audience.  And listening to his speech, we were quiet, cast under spell of his sweet charm and charisma. 

As his speech came to a close, Dan paused and said, “So remember . . .”  He inhaled deeply.  “. . . I’m Dan MC and I’m here to say: vote for me for SGA.”    

For a moment, there was no noise.

And then, a thunderous ovation from his peers.  Loud claps and bleacher stomps.  Girls cheered “Woooo!”  For a few festive seconds there was the roar of applause, peppered with shouts of “Daaaan!”  and whistles.  We liked Dan.  And we were happy that next school year, we would be the eighth graders, free of tyranny from the older kids ahead of us.  It was going to be a New Day.

So with that, I introduce my campaign for SGA Council Bead Star 2012.  Bead Star is a cool online beading contest in which jewelry designers vie for top chops in the beading world.  My designs have made the finals in six categories and, if you would, I’d love to have your vote.  (“I’m Dan MC and I’m here to say . . . “)  To vote, just click on the BEAD STAR icon below and log in (or sign up) to a beadingdaily.com account and get voting.  You’re the best readers a girl could ask for!

Because I figured that it would be unethical to buy votes for the Bead Star contest, I decided instead to give a cool free beading tutorial.*  Enjoy!

Kantalai Wrapped Chandelier Earrings Tutorial

Materials

2 30x22mm silver teardrop hoops

22 2.5x4mm faceted glass rondelle beads

14″ 22-gauge silver-colored Artistic Wire

4 1x2mm Thai silver rondelles

2 silver ear wires

Tools

two beading pliers

crimping pliers

wire cutters

Directions

1. Cut wire into (2) 7″ lengths. 

2.  Leaving a 1″ tail, tightly wrap one length of wire around teardrop hoop four times.  Sting one Thai silver rondelle onto wire, and wrap wire around teardrop hoop once.

3. String one faceted glass rondelle onto wire. Situating glass rondelle on the outside of the hoop, wrap wire tightly once around teardrop hoop.  Repeat for the next ten glass rondelles.

4. String one Thai silver rondelle onto wire, and wrap wire four times around teardrop hoop.

5. Using wire cutters, clip wire end close to teardrop chandelier.  Center wrapped beadson the hoop.  Using crimping pliers, crimp end around teardrop chandelier.  Repeat for beginning wire end.

6.  Using two pliers, open ear wire loop to the side.  Slip point of teardrop hoop onto loop.  Close loop.  Repeat for second ear wire.

7.  Repeat Steps 1-6 for second earring.

Resources

Teardrop chandelier hoop: cmyk, Glass faceted rondelles and silver wire: Fusion Beads, Thai silver rondelles: Treasure Hub, Ear wires: Lytha Studios.