11 Pro Tips for Creating Pearl Jewelry Designs with Wire

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Pearls are perhaps nature’s most beautiful materials for making jewelry. The first image that comes to mind when you think of pearl jewelry is the classic one- or two-strand necklace of perfectly round specimens. But pearls are so much more! They come in a variety of shapes and colors and styles. And you can do a lot more with them than simply stringing (lovely as a string of pearls can be).

ABOVE: Photo Fotogaby, Getty Images.

The downloadable ebook, 10 Wire & Pearl Jewelry Designs, by the editors of Step By Step Wire Jewelry, shows you great pearl designs by top jewelry artists, using a range of jewelry-making techniques. And not only do you get step-by-step instructions for making these pieces, the artists include some terrific tips for creating with pearls.

Here are some of the pearl jewelry designs and tips from those artists:

Be Steel My Heart

Sharilyn Miller’s lovely earrings combine pearls with flattened wire shapes like hearts. Sharilyn’s tip:

While I suggest using half hard wire to make the earwires, you can work-harden dead soft wire by hammering it a few times with a hard plastic or rawhide mallet.

Barrels of Pearls

This stunning necklace was created by Lauren Andersen with pearls and a variation on barrel weave chain maille. She says:

The ring between the barrels is the perfect place to hang dangles! Try adding crystals or charms.

Amethyst Spirals

Alicia Ayala designed these bold and dramatic earrings with big amethyst nuggets. If you want to create your own design based on these earrings, Alicia suggests:

For a daintier version, use a smaller spiral metal connector and smaller amethyst nuggets.

Modern Pearl Bracelet

Instead of the more common round pearls, “peanut pearls” serve as the basis for this bracelet designed by Judith Glende. The metal also has a lovely patina to showcase the pearls. Judith says:

Oxidizing the metal gives the bracelet an aged look while maintaining a modern feel.

June Bride Necklace

This new take on the classic pearl necklace — using freshwater pearls — was designed by Mai Sato-Flores. Her tip is:

It is helpful to sort the pearls into the five strand groups before making this piece. To extend the length of the necklace, you can either add more of the pearls from strand 1 or add more white topaz wrapped loop gem links at the end.

Fantasy Pendant

This terrific pendant, which uses pearls, crystals, beads, and a large hoop earwire, has always been one of my favorites. Wire artist Julie D’Amico-Beres suggests:

If your focal bead is flat, you may need to support it to keep it facing the right direction. This can be done by making two passes behind the bead forming an X with the wire.

Graceful Chandeliers

Jacqueline Trerise came up with these dramatic and elegant earrings. She combined silver wire with freshwater pearls and crystals. She tells you:

Use a wire jig with pegs to create the perfect wire shapes and connect them with bead links or jump rings.

Go Backless

These unique earrings, designed by Char Jorgensen, don’t use posts or earwires! The wire is shaped to look like a post and function like an earwire, but it’s all part of the design. Char gives you a couple of helpful tips for creating them:

Try different designs for the front of the earring — heart shapes, tiny loops, stars, triangles, squares, etc. Use a wire jig, or just fold up the end and place it into the center of a spiral.

You can adjust to ear thicknesses by pushing the back wire closer or further away from your ear. Make sure the front of the earring is firmly against your ear lobe. You can also make a more curved L shape, so the earrings better conform to your ear.

Captive Pearls

Lauren Andersen’s earrings use chain maille to “capture” the pearls inside the design. Lauren cautions:

You must use the correct size jump rings or the weave will not work.

Jamaica Necklace

This delicate-looking necklace is presented by wire artist Lynda Fullerton. It uses coiled wire links and colorful peacock pearls. Her helpful tip is:

A rubbed patina gives a rustic look, while shiny metal gives a more elegant feel.

Make Pearl Jewelry

You can make all of these pearl jewelry designs exactly as the artists show you in the ebook. Or you can use them as a starting point for your own unique wire and pearl jewelry designs. And that can always be a lot of fun!

–Karla
Managing Editor, Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist