Havasu Falls Earrings Tutorial

You can play around with the length of fringe on these earrings inspired by the Grand Canyon. Make them as short or as long as you would like them! My earrings in total length are just over 6". My longest fringe is 4-3/4". See alternate image at bottom, to see how these look when being worn!
 

Created by: Summer Melaas

Designer Tips

• Cut approx. 18mm of leather. Picot edge stitch the short side. When you reach the longer side, just do a single edge stitch (7 stitched beads in length). Trim any excess leather away and finish up the second short side with a picot edge stitch. Weave thread down to the single edge-stitch beads. 
• Pinch crimp end onto the leather (non-beaded edge into the crimp) using nylon-jaw pliers. Be aware that this crimp end has a front and a back side. Make sure both earrings match up!
• Coming out the bottom left edge bead, randomly add size 11 seed beads and 3mm crystals until you reach the longest length desired. End with one heishi spacer, 1 size 8 seed and 1 size 11 seed. Skipping over the last size 11 seed bead added, run your needle and thread back up through all the beads in the fringe and into the one seed off the leather.
• Weave needle and thread into the next bead off the leather.
• Create fringe again, making it about 5mm shorter than the first.
• Keep repeating the fringe, each one getting slightly shorter until all 7 fringes are done.
• Tie off remaining thread.
• Repeat all previous steps for other earring, only this time make the longer fringe starting on the bottom right edge bead. This will make the fringe angle the opposite from the other side.
• Cut 3" of wire. Make a wrapped loop and attach it to the loop of the crimp end. Add a bead cap, 6mm bead, 1 size 8 seed, 1 size 11 seed. Wire wrap a loop, and cut off excess wire. Open loop at bottom of earring hook, and attach the earring. Repeat for other earring. New to jewelry-making? For step-by-step instructions on making wrapped loops, and most secure way to open and close jump rings, see Jewelry Basics 101 (PDF).

Suggested Supplies

• 1 each #61-091-05-55 TierraCast Leather Strip, 1/2" Wide - Antiqued Copper
• 2 each #49-059-003-AB TierraCast Marrakesh Crimp End - Antiqued Brass Plated
• 1 pair #34-063-41 Bronze Niobium Earring Hook Findings
• 1 pair #33-960  French wire keepers (optional)
• 1 dozen (use 2 pieces) #43-129-AB TierraCast Antiqued Brass Plated Bead Caps, Cast, Leaf Small
• 1 hundred-pack (use 14 beads) #49-997-03-AB 3mm TierraCast Faceted Heishi Spacer Beads - Antiqued Brass Plated
• 1 tube #20-111-204 TOHO Glass Beed, Size 11 (2.1mm), Gold-Lustered Montana Blue
• 1 tube #20-108-Y867 TOHO Glass Beed, Size 8 (3mm), Hybrid Slate Bronze Picasso

• 4 dozen #05-328-03-157 Swarovski 5328 Faceted XILION Bicone Beads, 3mm - Copper**
• 4 dozen #05-328-03-23 Swarovski 5328 Faceted XILION Bicone Beads, 3mm - Smoked Topaz**
• 4 dozen #05-328-03-26 Swarovski 5328 Faceted XILION Bicone Beads, 3mm - Montana**
• 1 spool (use 6")  #46-404-30 Artistic Wire Copper Jewelry Wire, 24ga, 60ft - Antique Brass
• 1 strand (use 2 beads) #20-638-09-081 Freshwater Pearl Bead, Faceted Potato, 8mm - Bronze Color
  ~ or ~
  1 strand #20-636-09-151 Freshwater Pearl Beads, Faceted Potato, 6mm - Pink
• 1 spool  #61-004 One-G TOHO Nylon Beading Thread, 50 yards, Beige

** If/when these Swarovski crystal beads are no longer available, other sparkling options include: 2mm and 3mm Czech firepolish beads, and tiny gemstone beads.

Tools

• Size 12 beading needles
• Nylon Jaw Pliers
• Lindstrom Shear (for smoothly cutting leather and metal)
• Basic Jewelry Making Tools (a few options are linked in)
• Scissors

(Click for larger view of these earrings being worn.)