Using Square Stitch to Whip Up Some Quick, Yet Gorgeous, Swarovski Earrings

Full Disclosure: Many of the beads you see below are from Artbeads.com.  Some of the items I had on hand but all the pretty stuff is from them. To be clear; they gave me the beads so I would create and then write. Nothing really very sinister but I need to tell you this all upfront so none of us gets into trouble.

Whenever I walk through a bead store or bead catalog I am instantly drawn to the shiny and sparkly stuff. I saw a pattern using square stitch and Swarovski pendants to make earrings in an OLD issue of Bead & Button. 

If you’re friendly with the local librarian you can get old copies of magazines given to you before they chuck them.  After a while, libraries have to discard magazines that are old because of space.  Jewelry magazines are like cooking magazines and you can always reference them. 

What I like about these earrings is how quick it is to whip them up and once done are stunning!  Here’s what you need, 14mm Swarovski square crystal components (these can be pricey but you only need 2), Japanese cylinder beads (they look like tiny cubes.  You need this over regular seed beads so they lay properly), a pair of 6mm jump rings (soldered closed preferred), and some earring findings.  I stitch it using Wildfire thread (my favorite) and a beading needle is a must (unless you like to curse, then do it by hand).  I used the black thread because my beads were dark and I don’t like to see the string.

This looks more complicated than it is really.  The genius is in the simplicity of the pattern.  Complete instructions for these earrings are here.  (As a bonus, you can take that pattern and string a series of those components together to make a bracelet) I’ve made two pair of these earrings, one bronze with gold and one silvery blue with silver.  Thanks to Artbeads.com for providing me with so many pretty materials!