Plain hook ear wires are a staple for many jewellery makers, due to being one of the simplest styles to manufacture and it’s guaranteed that they will match almost any earrings. These make for a very versatile ear wire that would be great for your repertoire of findings.
Making your own ear wires gives you the flexibility of sizing and style that you would be limited to if you were purchasing them. If you suddenly find yourself in need of ear wires and didn’t have any to hand, you can quickly make these up with silver wire and basic tools, that I bet you would already have in your jewellery making kit.
I also personally prefer to make my own ear wires, so I can ensure they will perfectly match the tone of the earrings they are intended for.
Once you have mastered this plain hook ear wire, you could try one that is a bit more intricate such as the Fancy Ear Wires Tutorial.
The intention for this tutorial is for the ear wires to be made with sterling silver wire, but you may use which ever wire you like to work with. I would recommend practicing in a cheaper wire to make sure you have the technique correct. I practice with copper wire as it behaves similarly to sterling silver.
So if you are ready to get started, this is what you will need to make your plain hook ear wires:
- 14cm of 0.8mm sterling silver wire (7cm each)
- Wire cutters
- Chain nose pliers
- Round nose pliers
- Nylon jaw pliers
- Wire wrap mandrel (with 10mm)
- Steel bench block
- Nylon mallet
- Flat file
- Wire rounder
- Silver polishing cloth
1. To start, cut two pieces of 0.8mm sterling silver wire to the length of 7cm. Hold one silver wire with the chain nose pliers at the very end and straighten it with the nylon jaw pliers, repeat from the other side. Repeat for the 2nd wire.
2. Using your round nose pliers make a small loop at the end of the silver wire. You can mark your pliers like I have below with a permanent marker, to ensure you use the same part of the pliers each time. This will ensure the loops are the same size for every piece you make.
3. The first loop you will make will not be entirely round and you will have a small straight part at the beginning of the loop. Use your wire cutters to cut off this straight bit. You can file this end straight here if you want to be very precise, but it is not a necessity.
4. Loop the wire around again, using the same mark as before on the round nose pliers and you will now have a perfectly round loop.
5. Using the 10mm section of the wire wrap mandrel, line up the wire with the loop facing outwards and horizontal to the mandrel. Line up the top of the loop to the edge of the mandrel and then bend the wire back around the mandrel. You will need to ensure your loop is in the same place each time you make a pair of ear wires, so judge this by eye.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 for the second piece of wire, then line them up together over the wire wrap mandrel at the 10mm section. Ensure they look the same and that the bends are identical as they can be.
7. Keeping both your ear wires on the wire wrap mandrel, use your chain nose pliers to make a small bend further down as shown below. This forms a small function of keeping the ear wires in place if they should move and is also a design feature which finishes off the ear wires nicely.
8. With the ear wires lined up (still on the mandrel if you prefer), decide on how long you want the ends to be and make the final cut with your wire cutters. This will ensure the the ear wires are the same length.
9. Using the nylon mallet and steel bench block, lightly hammer both sides to work harden the ear wires. This will also flatten down the ear wires, but be aware we don’t want to flatten the wire itself. Once this is completed you will have a sturdy pair of ear wires!
10. To finish, you will need to ensure the end of the wire is smooth and will comfortably fit through a wearers pierced ear. Use the flat file firstly to file over the end, but aim to get it dome shaped and smooth. You can do this by filing up and over, going around the wire end.
11. Your filing will have done the majority of the work, but using a wire rounder next will really smooth out the ends of the ear wires. Once you have used the wire rounder, feel with your fingers if the end feels smooth. Decide if you would you be happy to put these ear wires through your ears? If not, repeat steps 10 & 11 as necessary.
12. Once you are happy with the ends of the ear wires use your silver polishing cloth to polish and make your ear wires shine. You will now have a lovely pair of plain hook ear wires for your earrings!
You can play around with the sizes of the bends and loops and see what difference this will make to the look of these earrings. You could add on a bead to the front of the ear wire or you could wire wrap a bead onto it. You could make these in different metals such as copper or gold. If you have any further ideas do let everyone know in the comments below.
Feel free to share this post and let me know what you think in the comments, I would love to hear about your results.
Happy ear wire crafting!
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