Beaded Jewelry Project: Vintage Tassel Earrings

These vintage tassels can be made out of new beads, or beads from an old necklace or bracelet your grandmother once owned. They are not only a beautiful reminder of times past, but a great addition to your jewelry wardrobe. Follow the directions below to create your own one of a kind vintage tassel earrings.

Vintage Tassel Earrings - Materials Needed

To make the vintage tassel beaded earrings you will need several tools. A pair of flat-nosed pliers, a pair of round-nosed jewelry pliers, wire cutters, and a beading needle and monofilament line or beading thread are needed. Choose a pair of french hook or kidney wire earring findings, based on your preference.

You will also need two eye pins, two three-quarter inch metallic cones, four bead caps, a four milimeter round bead that fits the bead caps, twelve two milimeter beads, and seed beads. The seed beads can be all the same or an assortment that all go together such as black opaque, black silver-lined bead, and black with an irridescent finish.

Vintage Tassel Earrings - Making the Tassels

Begin the earrings by making two tassels that are exactly the same. Thread the beading line onto the needle and knot the end around the eye in the eye pin. Then, thread on about two inches of the seed beads in one color then through one of the larger beads. Add one more seed bead and then push the needle back through the large bead and all the seed beads up to the top. This is one tassel strand.

Repeat the tassel strand directions, looping the beading thread over the eye pin hole each time you reach the top. Make six tassel strands with the same or different seed bead types.

Vintage Tassel Earrings - Finishing the Earrings

After both of the beaded tassels are complete, it is time to put the earrings together. Stick the straight part of the eye pin up through the metal cone, letting the cone fit over the tops of the seed bead strings. Then, thread one of the bead caps onto the eye pin. The large round bead and the other bead cap come next. Use your pliers to for a neat loop at the top of the eye pin and cut off any excess. Attach this to the earring hook jewelry finding and enjoy.