I've been making my own earrings and bracelets for a year now, after I accidentally stumbled on a blog that extolled the joys of making accessories from beads. I loved looking at the pictures of lovely handmade bead earrings, and that was when my hands itched to do the same.
Making my own jewelry has its benefits, foremost of which is the fact that I can make customized earrings without having my ears pierced. Yes, you read it right. My ears aren't pierced for personal and health reasons, and this has prevented me from wearing earrings for the first three decades of my life. Late last year, however, I found out that Papemelroti sells clip-on earrings, and I hoarded different designs that I can wear everyday.
I was all the more overjoyed when I learned that I can wear dangling earrings if I used clip-on findings instead of the usual post. With crazy designs of bead earrings in mind, I searched the Web for stores that sold such earring findings. My online quest directed me to a little store in Quiapo called Wellmanson. It sells basically all raw materials needed for making bead jewelry and accessories. If you're someone who likes to work with her hands (like me), you'll spend hours browsing their shelves of lovely beads.
Because Quiapo is just a few blocks away from my dorm, I visited Wellmanson on my way home from work. I had to brave the usual Quiapo crowds, but it was worth it. I immediately bought several packs of clip-on earring findings (similar to the ones I'd found online), strings of beads,different pins, and multi-purpose pliers. I blew half a week's budget for these little things, but I didn't mind because I was excited to start making my own accessories.
My first few attempts were really pathetic, and I almost gave up if not for the thought of finally wearing dangling earrings designed by me and made by my own hands. I succeeded after several more agonizing tries, and I felt so rewarded.
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| My first few attempts at making dangling clip-ons. The item on the upper left is my very first pair. |
After some pretty basic designs, I started to get adventurous and combine beads of different shapes and colors. These turned out to be okay, as in okay enough to wear to work. From this point, I started a very crazy love affair with dangling clip-on earrings in differing designs and colors.
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| My later (and better) attempts. The pair in the center is one of my favorite earrings. I wear them to almost everywhere. The green pair is what I call my "Kryptonite earrings"; I made them to ward off Superman's charms. :)) |
I later got more comfortable in making these earrings, and I began to closely observe the jewelry worn by the ladies of "The Tudors". It's one of my favorite TV shows (pre-Big Bang Theory), and I love the elaborate clothes and jewelry so much that I was inspired to make more elaborate earrings whose style more or less reflects the show. This was when I began to be more imaginative and creative in styling my beaded charms. Notice that the earrings are longer and heavier than the previous ones I'd made. They sometimes hurt my earlobes, but that's a small price to pay for looking good in them. :)
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| Earrings inspired by "The Tudors". |
Aside from earrings, I've also made a few simple bracelets just for fun.
Not a few people might wonder why someone as geeky as me would choose
making bead jewelry over some other geeky hobby like collecting Star
Wars or Lord of the Rings stuff. Mind you, I'm a huge fan and I watch them over and
over again, but sometimes it's good to do go into something totally
different. It develops the undeveloped part of your brain, and you'll be in for a surprise once you try something different.
Making pretty beaded things with my own hands is my way of de-stressing after a long day at the office or the library. It helps keep my sanity and equilibrium intact, and lets me get in touch with my creative side.
