Since my freshman year of college, I have had a total of nine holes in my ears. (What can I say? I was a rebellious teenager. Ha!)
That’s a lot of earrings to change, so unless I’m going to a fancy event, I always wear the same huggie earrings in seven of those holes.
(Cue my awkward selfie)
For awhile I was wearing little studs I had bought at Claire’s accessories eons ago, but after having them for more than a decade they started to fall apart or turn funky colors.
I decided to replace all of my earrings with small silver hoops, so off to the mall I went in hunt of enough hoops for all of my holes. I stopped dead in my tracks when I looked at the pricetag of those things. I was looking at spending over $50 in the most basic earrings when it dawned on me.
I could totally make some small basic hoop earrings myself.
So the next question was: how to make huggie earrings?
Turns out, it’s pretty simple. And you don’t necessarily need a ton of jewelry making tools to do it!
(Although I will admit, it’s a bit easier with the right tools, but it can be done without1)
These DIY huggie earrings are easy & quick to make.
(In fact, it took me longer to take the photos for this tutorial than it did to make the actual earrings.)
But before we dig in, let me answer a few questions that might be going through your mind right now….
A few tips before we move onto the tutorial. For your convenience, these are affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
What are huggie earrings?
I’ll admit, this term is relatively new to me. Basically huggie earrings are teeny tiny hoops that “hug” your ears.
What size are huggie earrings?
Again, they’re pretty small. The ones I currently have on are about 1/2 inch diamter, or about 1 1/4 mm in diameter. They can be a bit bigger or a bit smaller, but you want to make sure they’re big enough to fit around your ear and small enough that they don’t stick out too much. (That’s why I’m a huge fan of making these with the 6-in-1 bail making pliers that I mention below.
How do you get huggie earrings off and on?
With this style of tiny hoop earrings, you kind of pry them open with your finger (think like a clam opening open) and then squish them back down. They will likely get a bit misshapen in the process, but as you don’t mind an ovalish shape, you should have no problem getting them open and closed.
How to make small hoop earrings
- As I mentioned, you don’t necessarily need a specialized tool to make these earrings. However, if you are making a lot of jewelry, I HIGHLY recommend these 6-in-1 bail making pliers. They’re great for making findings such as clasps & ear wires.
- I recommend sanding or filing the part that goes through your ear. You can use anything you have around the house already, such a piece of sand paper or even a nail file. I’m also partial to these needle files.
- Since these DIY hoop earrings are going through your ears, please be aware of any metal sensitivities/allergies you may have. I personally prefer sterling silver wire that is 19- or 20-gauge.
- Make these DIY huggie earrings on the smaller side. Too big, and they will easily squish and lose their shape. Because these are small it doesn’t matter if they aren’t perfectly round, though they will look kinda silly if they are large and misshapen. But hey, if that’s your thing, who am I to judge?
How to make small hoop huggie earrings
These DIY huggie earrings are surprisingly easy to make! Learn how to make your own huggie earrings with just a piece of wire and a few jewelry-making tools -- or even some household objects.
Materials
- Round wire in the metal of your choice (I used 20 gauge sterling silver wire, but you could probably go with 19 gauge as well --FYI, the larger the number, the thinner the wire is)
Tools
- Round nose pliers
- Step pliers OR a pen, sharpie marker or something about that wide
- Flush cutter
- Something to sand down the wire: a nail file, a piece of sand paper, or needle files
Instructions
- Take the round nose pliers and make a small loop at one end of the wire.
- Now wrap the wire, starting at the loop, around the biggest size of the bail-making pliers OR your pen, holding the loop flat against the surface of the pen.
- Slip the wire off of the pen and trim the wire so it just goes past the loop and snip off the wire so it goes a bit past the loop you made.
- Sand down the end so it isn't sharp and rinse the earring off with some soap and water. Boom, done! Your simple hoop earring is now ready to be worn. How easy what that?
Here's what it should look like now: (Oh man, are my hands screaming for some lotion or what? Yikes!)
.
Notes
Make these earrings on the smaller side. Too big, and they will easily squish and lose their shape. Because these are small it doesn't matter if they aren't perfectly round, though they will look kinda silly if they are large and misshapen. But hey, if that's your thing, who am I to judge?
You don't necessarily need a specialized tool to make these earrings. However, if you are making a lot of jewelry, I HIGHLY recommend the step pliers listed below. They're great for making findings such as clasps & ear wires.
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