Pearl & Swarovski Cluster Dangle Earrings

Clustering groups of beads is an easy and effective design!

With this earring, we have cut about one inch of chain (here: Small Curb Chain SS) and simply attached several styles of beads from the links in the chain.

We put one bead on each headpin (here: 1" 24 gauge SS Headpins) and made a simple loop at the top of the headpin. Then we connected each bead/headpin (the "dangles") to the loops in the chain. We added an earwire (here: Plain SS Earwire) to the first link in the chain to create the earring.

TIPS for clustering:

• The more dangles you add to the chain, the "bunchier" the look. The example at the right does not have lots and lots of dangles so when it hangs from the ear, it drapes a little. If we added more, it would cluster more, like a bunch of grapes.
• It is not critical to the design, but it sometimes helps to take note of the two "sides" of the chain. Essentially, you can attach the dangles on the left or the right side of the chain. When you have lots of beads attached, it may not make a difference to the final look. But with a moderate amount (as in the example at left) visual balance is acheived by paying attention to how each dangle will lay in relation to the others.
• If you attach the bottom dangle and earwire first, you'll have an easy way to hold the chain from each end.
• It is common to put more than one dangle in each link of the chain. For the earring shown here, we put two or three dangles in a link, then skipped a link allowing for the beads to fall slightly.
• Try clustering a lot of beads at the top of the chain for a really dense cluster of beads, then taper down to a thinner cluster, and end with a distinctive final drop. This gives the look of a beehive or upside-down pear shape.
• Clustering is not just for earrings! Try it as the focal point of a chain necklace. Make a bunchy-beady bracelet with bigger beads. Put sections of clusters between bigger beads to mix up the texture of a piece.
• Helpful TOOLS for this project include Wire Snips, Roundnose Pliers, & Needlenose Pliers

Shop for PEARLS
Shop for CRYSTALS
Shop for CHAIN
Shop for HEADPINS
Shop for EARWIRES

Remember: If the exact set of materials isn't currently available, make some simple design changes and use what you can!