Retired - Merry Little Earrings

First you will need to determine your desired length of earring. Measure from the hole in your ear to where you would like the earring to end to get your total desired length. Now subtract about 5/8 or 3/4 of an inch to get your desired chain length.Cut two pieces of chain in the desired chain length. It is best to use a good quality flush cutter to do this, as you do not want the ends of the chain to be flattened or distorted.Gently insert one end of one piece of chain through a 2 x 1mm Sterling Silver crimp bead. Using chain nose pliers, maneuver the bead so it is precisely at the end of the chain, with no extra chain sticking through. Use your chain nose pliers to flatten the crimp bead. Do not use crimping pliers on this. On the other end of the chain string the following: one beadcap facing up, one glass bead, and one bead cap facing downwards. Slide them down snugly to the crimp bead end of the chain. Your crimp bead should stop them from falling off the chain.Now insert the other end of the chain into a 2 x 1mm crimp bead. Using chain nose pliers, gently slide the crimp bead down towards the other bead assemblage. Gently flatten the crimp bead right above the bead assemblage. The beads should now be secured at one end of the chain.Take a 2mm crimp bead with loop. Place the empty end of the chain into the tube end (not the loop end), filling the length of the tube, but not sticking out beyond, in front of the loop. Now flatten the tube with your chain nose pliers. Gently open the ring on the earring hooks in the opening a jump ring technique, and place the crimp bead's ring on the ear wire's ring. Close the earring hook ring. Repeat steps 3-7 to make your second earring.Because of the handmade nature of these beads, at close range it may be apparent that the chain is not centered and hanging straight inside the beads. Don't worry about this. No one will notice--the artisanal quality of these hand blown beads will out charm any minor imperfection.Love the simple design of these earrings? Don't stop - you still have some chain left. Try using different colors of hand-blown beads, or bling it up with Austrian Crystal drops, rounds or cubes. Cubic zirconia, or any other bead with a hole large enough to accommodate the chain will also look great. If the hole in the beads is too large to be blocked by the 1x1 crimp beads, simply use beadcaps, as we have done here.