Make Your Own Handmade Kidney Ear Wire Tutorial

Kidney Ear Wires

Hello. Today I'm going to show you how to make your own kidney ear wires. I have two styles so it's going to be a little long. The first style has a double wire hook that wraps up onto the wire and the second is a little more basic and is perfect for more minimalistic designs.

For both styles I started with my basic tools. Here I used half hard 20 gauge wire, my rounds pliers, and my metal cutters. I also got together a couple of objects that I could use to form the loops of the ear wires. I have experimented with many different dowels and other objects but I really like the size of the sharpie marker for shaping the kidney ear wire. It creates a nice round loop that isn't too big or too small. Plus I always have one around anyway so it's handy.

Doubled Hook Kidney Ear Wire

To start you need to cut two pieces of 5-6 inch wire. I only show how to make one, but if you want to make a matching pair I suggest manipulating both wires at the same time through every step. 

Start by measuring the desired length of the ear wire. This end will be the shorter end because you need extra length on the other end to form the hook.

Then grab the longer side Abbott 1/4 of an inch above where the shorter side ends and wrap it around one side of the pliers so it crosses over the top of the wire.

Measure how long you want your hook to be and make sure to add some length to bend the end to form the hook. The bend the wire straight back an press it together to form a tight bend making a strait section of double wire that crosses over the top of the main wire again. 

Start bending the remaining wire over and under the main wire so it is now facing the center and is underneath the original wire.

Continue wrapping 2 or more times depending on how much wire is left or how many times you think looks good. I cut my wire a little short and was only able to wrap it around twice. 

Grab the end of the straight double wire with the round pliers and curve the end until it makes a nice hook. Make sure not to bend it too much. You want the end of the hook to easily fit in this hook. 

Then just grab the wire and bend the end of the loop out using the hook you just created as the tension point. It should be enough that it make it easy to put into your ear but not so tight of a bend that it is uncomfortable to slide your ear over the bend. Around a 30-45 degree angle is good.

Cut off any remaining wire so that there is about 1/4 of an inch after the final bend in the hoop. This length can vary depending on what style  you are going for, but a general rule of thumb is that it should be at least as long as the average width of an earlobe. 

After cutting off the excess wire you can file the wire flat and then sand the edges to create a nice smooth and rounded end. It is best to file the wire down flat first and then sand the edges with a fine sand paper (at least 600 grit) to create a smooth slightly rounded end. This is one of the most important steps for making any ear wire. This is the part of the wire that people will feel the most. If it is rough and irritating they might not like wearing the earring no matter how beautiful it might be.

Minimalist Kidney Earwire

For this design start with the same tools as the previous one and two 5-6 inch long pieces of half hard wire. I bent the wire in the same way around a permanent marker and now will begin shaping it.

Startby grabbing the long side of the wire about 1/4 of an inch above the  where the short side ends.

Bend it outwards to prepare to make an eye to atatch the earring onto.

Reposition the pliers so that the pliers tips are on either side of the bend you just made. Bend the wire around the bottom tip of the pliers until it forms a nice loop.

Reposition the pliers again so that one of the tips is in the eye you just made and the other is on the innermost side of the remaining wire. Then bend the wire over the tip until it is flat.

Here is what it should look like so far. If it's not entirely flat, now is a great time to flatten in out by gently hammering it or using some flat pliers.

Measure how wide you would like the ear wire to be starting from the outer hoop and grab the wire at that length. Bend the wire sideways around the pliers to creat you hook and cut off any excess wire.

Insert the loop into the hook using the hook as tension bend the wire out slightly. It should be enough of a bend to make it easier to put into your ears but not bent so much that it's uncomfortable to put the bend through the ear. About 30-45 degree angle is good.

Cut off any remaining wire so that there is about 1/4 of an inch after the final bend in the hoop. This length can vary depending on what style  you are going for, but a general rule of thumb is that it should be at least as long as the average width of an earlobe. 

If you made it this far I hope you enjoyed it. This post turned out to be kind of long. I would love any feedback and would really like to see any jewelry that you make using this tutorial or not.

Thank you and have a great day!

Lyndy