7. Pass one open jump ring through the last pair of closed jump rings added (you are adding another middle ring, as in Step 5), add an earring hook onto this ring, and close. Make sure the earring hook front is on the same side of the chainmail as should be facing up when you lay the chainmail on the table. 8. Pass one open jump ring through the bottommost pair of side rings and close. (You are adding another middle ring as in Step 5.) 9. Lay the piece flat on your work surface. Take one open jump ring and pass through the 3 rings on one side of the chainmail piece and close. Repeat this step on the opposite side of the piece and you will have one rosette chainmail segment that will become the base of your chandelier earring. Both of these rings should lay in the same direction as the middle ring even though they go through three side rings instead of just two. Beaded eyepin: 1. Cut a ¾" (2cm) piece of the black enameled copper wire. Bend the wire at a right angle, leaving a tail of just over ¼" (6mm). 2. Grasp wire just above the bend with the round-nose pliers. Wrap wire around nose of pliers to form loop. 3. Place one of the teardrop beads (wider end pointing down) onto the wire and bend the wire at a right angle just above the bead, using chain-nose pliers. 4. Trim the tail to just over ¼" (6mm), grasp wire just above the bend with round-nose pliers, and wrap the wire around the nose of the pliers to form a loop. 5. Open the loop closest to the narrow end of the bead by grasping the cut end of the loop with chain-nose pliers and bending open just far enough to slip the loop over the jump ring at the bottom center of your chainmail earring. Attach a beaded eyepin to the earring and close. 6. Open the loop on the opposite end of the eyepin, slip the bat charm onto the wire and close.
Beaded headpins: 1. Cut four ¾" (2cm) pieces of black enameled copper wire. 2. Grasp the wire with the chain-nose pliers leaving a 1 ⁄16" (2mm) tail and bend toward the body of the wire as far as you can go. There will be a small loop. Grasp this loop with the tips of the chain-nose pliers and press flat to create the head of the pin. 3. Place one teardrop bead onto the headpin with the wide end on the bottom. Bend the wire at a right angle just above the bead using chain-nose pliers. 4. Trim the tail to just over ¼" (6mm), grasp the wire just above the bend with round-nose pliers, and wrap the wire around the nose of the pliers to form a loop. 5. Open the loop by grasping the cut end of the loop with chain-nose pliers and bending open just far enough to slip the loop over one of the jump rings. Repeat steps 2–5 for the rest of the wire segments and attach to the jump rings on the bottom sections of the earrings. Unless you’ve run out of holes in your head, you’ll need two. Repeat to create a matching earring.
Designer bio: Robyn Rosen has been creating unique chainmail, wirework, and beaded jewelry for more than ten years and has recently begun teaching chainmail classes locally in central New Jersey. She has had her chainmail jewelry projects published in magazines such as Step-by-Step Wire and Bead Style. She also sells complete DIY Chainmail making kits in her Etsy shop at www.robynrosen.etsy.com and on her homepage at www.robynrosen.com. She also has a certificate in graphic design and is currently a student in computer science, in an effort to become a well-rounded artsycrafty geek, with a little bit of computer geek thrown in for good measure.