Who among us has not, at one point, wished to be the proud owner of a pair of Oscar de le Renta tassel earrings (may he rest in peace). When I win the lottery, those babies are definitely at the top of my To Buy list, along with a Birkin bag, a house with a library and paying off my student loans. After all, a girl can be stylish while being fiscally responsible.
Apart from renting a pair of these tasseled wonders for sixty bucks a pop—easier to justify, sure, but separation anxiety between woman and jewelry is a real thing—it seems that making my own version offers the shortest path between me and accessory heaven. You may remember I made another version of these earrings awhile ago, and since they were so popular but a little complicated for those with no beading experience, I decided to make another, more simplified pair. Really I just wanted them in red.
If you can thread beads onto a string and cut a circle out of felt (you’ll see) you can make these earrings—and I hope you do. They’re super simple, really beautiful and cost about ten dollars when all is said and done. Plus, whenever you get complimented on them you can say, “Oh thanks, I actually made these.”
For this project, you’ll need the following:
• seed beads
• rhinestones (I used these from Hobby Lobby, but you can use any rhinestone as long as it has a flat back and somewhere to attach a jump ring)
• silver tassel caps
• E6000
• a small piece of felt
• flat earring posts (I used these 10mm ones)
• nylon beading string
• beading needle (I like these open-eye, non-pricking needles)
• 6mm jump rings
• needle-nose pliers
Directions
1. To make the tassels, start by threading your seed beads onto a length of nylon beading string, looping the beginning and end of the thread back through ten or so of the beads to finish each end (same technique used here). Make each string twice as long as you want your tassel to be; for reference, I used 70 beads for each string. The amount of strings you’ll need will depend on the size of tassel cap you’re using, but I needed seven strings per tassel, so 14 total.
2. Next, use a good length of beading thread to tie your strings together in the middle, thus creating a tassel. Make sure each string is hanging evenly so your tassel isn’t lopsided (this might take a few tries).
3. Use your end cap to trace a circle on a scrap piece of felt. Cut out the circle and sew the string you used to tie your tassel together to the round piece of felt. This is how we will connect our tassel to our end cap.
6. Apply a small amount of E6000 to the inside of your end cap and to the top of the felt circle, then insert the tassel into the end cap. Press down on the felt with a toothpick to ensure a snug fit and hold for about 30 seconds. Assemble your second tassel and let both dry completely.
6. While the tassels are drying, add a dot of glue to each earring post and the backs of each rhinestone and press the posts to the backs of the rhinestones. Again, let dry completely before assembling.
7. The last step is simple: use a small jump ring to connect the rhinestone to the tassel.
