Small Good Things

Oct 27 2011

Tom Binns Knockoff Tutorial:
Pearl & Safety Pin Earrings

Hello, lovelies! Are you enjoying shopping for autumn/winter season? I was browsing through Net-A-Porter.com recently, and had a huge crush on a pair of earrings from Tom Binns. Mixed media jewellery are still huge this season, both from big brands and high street shops, but I’ve never seen pearls, rhinestones and safety pins mixed together! So, today’s tutorial will show you how to make a little bit toned down version of the earrings.

This is the original version, called ‘Passive Attack rhodium and pearl earrings’ (photo credit: Net-A-Porter.com). Absolutely beautiful and playful, but yet… they come with a price tag of £215!

What you’ll need:

8 small and 2 medium size pearls
14 beads (I’m using 3mm Czech fire polished beads)
10 eyepins
4 headpins
2 jump rings
2 chains, about 5 cm
2 crystal connector links
a pair of stud loop post earrings
7 safety pins
spray paint
a pair of flat-nose pliers
a pair of round-nose pliers
a pair of wire cutters

Instructions:

1) Let’s start by painting some safety pins. I couldn’t decide whether to use yellow or pink, so I used both colours (greedy, I know!). By the time you finish making the bodies for the earrings, the paint would be dry (unless you are very fast at making jewellery, that is).

2) Feed a small pearl to an eyepin. Bend the pin at 90 degrees angle, and with wire cutters, cut the wire into about 1cm.

3) Grasp the end of the wire with round-nose pliers and create a loop (but don’t close the loop just yet).

4) Place another eyepin to the loop, then close the opening with round-nose pliers. Repeat step 2 and 3 to join 2 other pearls.

5) After feeding the third pearl, join the loop to a crystal connector link instead of an eyepin.

6) Feed the fourth peal to a headpin, and connect it to the loop of the first peal.

So, your pearls look like this now.

7) Joint 7 Czech beads following the same way as step 2 to 6.

8) Feed a medium size pearl to an eyepin.

9) Connect the medium size pearl to a stud loop post earring.

10) Joint the medium size pearl and the crystal connector link.

11) Open a jump ring with flat-nose pliers and round-nose pliers. Add chain and Czech beads (don’t close the opening yet).

12) Connect the jump ring to the bottom loop of the medium pearl.

And the body for the earring is done! Repeat the steps to make another earing.

13) Are your safety pins dry and ready? If so, feed the pins through the loops randomly, and you are done!

I love the vibrant colours of these safety pins, and I’m glad that I used both pink and yellow! The earrings remind me of Kate Moss – you know, rock-chic, cheap-and-posh mixed style. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the tutorial :)

I’m linking this tutorial on Katie’s Nesting Spot, Sassy Sites! and Flamingo Toes; make sure you check them!

Jewelry & Accessories2 Comments

2 Commnents to “Tom Binns Knockoff Tutorial:
Pearl & Safety Pin Earrings”

Using safety pins for jewelry making was new to me as well, and it was really fun as well :) Thanks for stopping by!
November 1st, 2011 | emi
How cute are these!?!?!?! I am really into making jewelry out of odds and ends like this, and these are just adorable!!! Great job!
October 30th, 2011 | Nichole F.