Creating Hammered Dangle Earrings from Copper Wire

We’ve been in the middle of adding a second floor to our villa (yep, it’s been quite the project). And, as with any construction work, there were a few odds and ends left over—namely, some 2.5 mm and 1.5 mm copper wire. I have been enjoying creating wire wrapped jewelry recently so I couldn’t let them go to waste. They were quite the resource! So I would of course turn them into something wearable – my new favorite dangle earrings! 🧡

I’ve seen similar earring designs on the internet and I’ve been longing to try to make ones for myself. Thanks for the inspiration to all the lovely people who share their creations.

I peeled off the insulation from the leftover copper wire and worked it into the perfect little shapes for earrings. Each one has three hanging elements, making them sway and catch the light just right. There’s something about the hammered texture of copper that I love—it’s rustic yet shiny at the same time. Plus, it’s quite the imperfection so they’re totally one-of-a-kind. 😉

Check out how cool the light shines on them in the video below:

Materials for the earrings:

• 2.5 mm copper wire for the hanging hammered elements;
• 1.5 mm copper wire for the rings to which the elements are attached;
• 0.8 mm copper wire for the earring wires;
• hammer with round head;
• pliers – cutters, round-nose pliers, straight pliers;
• anvil – optional, but I truly recommend having one. I used a steel plank before and it was noisy and everything and everyone trembled in horror.

How I made them:

• Cut 6 pieces of 2.5 mm wire – each with length of 3 cm;
• Hammered each of them leaving the ends intact;
• Sanded the sharp ends and polished them so they would become smooth;
• Made loops at the unhammered ends with my round nose pliers;
• Made two rings from 1.5 mm wire;
• Hanged 3 hammered pieces on a ring for each earring;
• Made two simple ear wires from 1 mm wire;
• Hanged the elements on the ear wires and the earrings were ready.

Here are some in-progress shots:

Not only do these earrings add a bit of handcrafted flair, but they’re also a little reminder of our ongoing villa project. Who knew construction leftovers could look this good? 

I’m now thinking of adding earrings like these to my Etsy store. Now I just have to go to the villa to get my valuable resource and continue crafting.

Update: I made another pair of these earrings. You can buy them at my Etsy store here.

Also, ask me anything:

See more of my jewelry designs here.

Find me on Instagram here and on Pinterest here.