Isabella earrings tutorial

Even if I’m tiny (not just compared to people in my adopted home country, The Netherlands, were people tend to grow well above the world average), I am a megalomaniac when it comes to jewels. Our weekly #NoOneHasToBeadAlone workshops taught me to think on a smaller scale compared to jewels that I was making during the previous years, but still, if I can, I love to add at least some glass components in metal settings to make the motif shiny more. The Isabella earrings are different. The main cross-shaped part barely measures 2-3 cm / about an inch, and it’s enlarged only with some more Miyuki Slender Bugle beads and a Preciosa crystal pendant drop in one of my favourite colours: Pink Sapphire.

Follow this tutorial to bead your own version! You can stay small like I did (it’s great for autumn and winter days, so the earring doesn’t get tangled in your scarf), but it’s also possible to connect several motifs on top of each other for a pair of statement earrings.

Which one do you prefer? Tell me in a comment!

FP4 – 4 mm Czech fire-polished beads

RS4 – 4 mm / ss16 Preciosa sew-on rhinestones

P3 – 3 mm round glass bead

PEN – 6×10 mm Preciosa pendant drop

BUG – 6 mm Miyuki Slender Bugle

R15A, R15B, R15C – 15/0 Miyuki round seed beads

R11 – 11/0 Miyuki round seed beads

C11 – 11/0 Miyuki Delica beads

earring findings

0.12 mm Fireline

thin beading needle (I use 11/0 Tulip)

Pick up (4) FP4 beads.

Bead through all beads one more time to join them into a circle.

Bead through the first bead for a third time.

Add C11 beads between the FP4 beads.

Continue until exiting the second new bead.

Pick up (2) R15B + RS + (2) R15B.

Bead through the C11 opposite of the one that you were exiting at the beginning.

Bead back through (2) R15B + RS + (2) R15B.

Bead through the original C11 + FP4 + C11.

Pick up (2) R15B.

Bead through the open hole of RS.

Pick up (2) R15B.

bead through the C11 that is opposite of the one you were exiting at the beginning of this step.

Bead back through (2) R15B + RS + (2) R15B.

Bead through the original C11.

Add groups of BUG + R11 + BUG between the C11 beads.

Continue through FP4 + C11.

Pick up (2) R15C + R15A + P3 + R15C.

Bead through the nearest R11 in the opposite direction.

Bead back through R15C + P3 + R15A.

Pick up (2) R15C.

Bead through the next C11.

Repeat all around.

Bead until exiting an R11.

Pick up BUG + PEN + BUG.

Bead through the R11 once more.

Bead to the top R11, and ad a loop of R15C seed beads for your earring finding.

Continue beading through the beads on the edge of the motif.

When reaching the bottom part of the motif, bead through (2) BUG.

Pick up (1) R15C, bead through PEN and pick up (1) R15C.

Continue beading to reinforce the motif, especially the loop at the top.

Secure and trim all thread ends.

Bead another earring to complete the pair, and show me your picture in a comment 🙂