DIY | Earrings with bead clusters

Created on 23/05/2019

Here you find inspiration and instructions on how to make your own beautiful earrings with bead clusters.

This type of earrings with small and colourful gemstone beads is wonderful as weekday jewelry, while the more exclusive version with larger beads or pearls goes along with an evening gown. You can use all kinds of beads and pearls to make clusters, and you can use them to decorate earrings or as necklace pendants. In the picture above you see some examples with mixed semi-precious beads, shimmering labradorite and classic, white shell pearls.

Earrings with colourful bead clusters

Earrings with gemstone bead clusters

You need the following DIY materials to make these colourful earrings:

1 pair of earwires with loop, gilded sterling silver
2 semi-precious stone beads 8mm*
16 semi-precious stone beads 6mm*
8 semi-precious stone beads 4mm*
* Choose your own gemstone mix from Smyks' assortment of semi-precious stone beads.
12 jumprings, 4mm, gilded sterling silver
26 headpins with plate, gilded sterling silver
chain-nose pliers
flat-nose pliers
cutting pliers

DIY materials for earrings with gemstone bead clusters

For these earrings we used a random mix of various semi-precious stone beads.

Beads with loop and windings

First, you thread each bead on a headpin. Next, you shape a loop and make windings over every beads. For more detailed instructions, please read our DIY guide on how to shape a loop over a bead.

Single bead with loop and windings

Fasten a jumpring to the first bead with a diameter of 8mm.

After that, you connect 2 beads with a diameter of 6mm to the first bead:

Open the jumpring. Insert the first 6mm bead, then the 8mm bead on the jumpring and finally the second 6mm bead. Close the jumpring.

Now you attach the next 2 beads. You do it in the same way with the help of a jumpring:

The individual beads are combined to form a cluster of beads

Open the jumpring. Insert one bead, then the previous jumpring and then the second bead. Close the jumpring.

Continue this way adding two beads at a time with the help of a jumpring. When you have added 8 beads with a diameter of 6mm, you add 2 beads with a diameter of 4mm.

More beads are added to the cluster.

You this in the same way.

Now you fasten the last 2 beads with a diameter of 4mm. Open the eyelet on the earwire and insert the first bead.

The earwire is connected to the bead cluster.

Then you insert the bead cluster hanging on the jumpring you added last.

Finally, you add the last 4mm bead and close the eyelet.

Pair of earrings with gemstone bead cluster

Your cluster earrings are done.

Cluster earrings with small tourmaline beads

You need the following DIY materials to make these earrings:

The procedure is the same as described in Earrings with colourful bead clusters (see above).

Earrings with labradorite clusters

You need the following DIY materials to make these earrings:

The procedure is the same as described in Earrings with colourful bead clusters (see above).

Earrings with shell pearl clusters

You need the following DIY materials to make these earrings:

The clusters are assembled in the same way as described in Earrings with colourful bead clusters (see above).

The half-drilled shell pearls (4mm) are glued onto the earstuds. Check the length of the peg before you apply the glue and cut it to size if necessary. The pearls are supposed to go all the way down and sit neatly in the cup.

Single earring with shell pearl cluster

To finish your earrings, you simply place the cluster (i.e. the jumpring you added last) on the peg of the earstud and close it with the earnut.

Have fun making your own cluster earrings!