THESE EARRINGS ARE OUR GO-TO STYLE for when you want to make a statement at work but still keep it professional. They add character without feeling too young and they look amazing with a blazer. They use chip beads, which are an inexpensive way to incorporate semiprecious stones into your work. Chip beads are small, nonuniform slices of stone and are available in a variety of colors and materials. We love the way chalky jade looks with the shine of the brass in this style. Make these earrings your own by using teardrop, rectangular, or even round beads.
10 chip beads with top-drilled holes
6 in/15 cm gold wire, 22 gauge
4 gold square bars with loops on each end, 2 mm wide × 27 mm long
2 medium gold jump rings
2 gold leverback earring components
Ruler
Clippers
Round-nose pliers
Chain-nose pliers
Arrange the chips
1 Arrange the chip beads into 2 sets of 5 on the work surface. If there are larger chips, place them in the center so that the beads form a V-shape.
Connect the bars
2 Cut a 3-in/7.5-cm piece of gold wire, and wire-wrap it to the bottom loop on the first bar (see wire-wrapping, page 33).
3 Thread the chips onto the wire, and wire-wrap the other end of the wire to the bottom loop on the second bar.
4 Repeat steps 2–3 for the second set of chips, for the second earring.
Attach to the top
5 Open a jump ring and slip the tops of the two connected bars onto it, then add the leverback component to the jump ring. Close the jump ring to secure.
6 Repeat step 5 for the second earring.
