How to make earwires

It's easy to make your own earwires using roundnose pliers or a jig. Why would you want to make earwires? You can choose your own metal, style, and gauge. This gives you more design options than you would get ordering pre-made earwires, plus it's a great way to save money.

You can make earwires using a pre-existing earwire and your pliers. This is the method to use if you don't have a jig (although a jig is easy to make). Cut 2 lengths of wire about 4 inches (10 cm) long. Hold the earwire with your pliers and bend one or both of the wires to match its curves. I like to work both earwires at once, using my hands, except for the loops (then I use roundnose pliers). After you get a shape you like, you can flatten the part that sits in the earhole by applying pressure with flatnose pliers (no ridges!) or by pounding the earring gently using a hammer and anvil. Use a file to smooth the ends of the earwires.

Here are several video tutorials: