How to Make Feather Earrings Using Wire

Feathers are one of the earliest forms of human adornment, worn in ancient times by Egyptians in their hair, Hawaiians in cloaks and Native Americans in warbonnets, among others. Today, feathers are a fashion staple, embellishing masks, hats, fans, clothing and accessories. Pay homage to the illustrious history of the humble feather with stylish earrings you can make using wire, jewelry tools and creativity.

Instructions

1

Gather two or three feathers in complementary colors for each earring. You can also choose just a single feather.

2

Trim the downy feathers at the bottom of the shaft under the main plume. Cut the bottom of the shaft down to about an 1 1/2 inches long. Your feather earrings will hang upside down, with the main plume dangling downward.

3

Cut 8 inches of flexible jewelry wire to wrap neatly around the trimmed shafts of the feathers. Hold the shafts securely in one hand, and in the other hand use flat-nose pliers to wrap wire tightly around them. Keep twisting the wire around the shafts until they are no longer visible and about 3 inches of wire remain. With round-nose pliers, create a small loop out of the remaining length and twist excess wire around the shafts once more. Trim with wire cutters.

4

Use pliers to open the ring of an earring hook. Thread the ring through the loop you created from the wire holding your feathers together. Squeeze the ring closed with the pliers.

5

Repeat Steps 2 to 4 for the second earring.