If you have old jewelry that has fallen apart or that you don’t wear anymore, you can repurpose the beads in them to make earrings that you can wear now. I made some DIY earrings with this craft for old vintage jewelry, and I also used some newer pieces plus findings. This is a fun jewelry craft idea, and they’d make a nice gift to give for Christmas gifts if you use an old necklace or other broken jewelry to create a new keepsake.
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Supplies you’ll need.
For this project, you’ll need 12mm cabochon earring findings, jewelry-safe glue that works with the materials you’re using, and small decorative pieces to fit inside the shallow dish of each finding. Good options include actual 12mm cabochons, vintage jewelry pieces, small pearls, plastic charms, or flat-backed embellishments.
Use a glue that sticks to both metal and plastic or whatever materials you’re sticking to it. And make sure to wear vinyl gloves, because this kind of glue will stick your skin together!
Find things that fit into the jewelry findings.
These earring findings have a tiny, shallow dish on the front where the decorative piece is glued. The back is smooth, so make sure you’re working on the correct side. Because the dish is shallow, larger embellishments can be tricky. If a piece extends too far above the top of the earring, it may hit your ear when worn, so test the placement before adding glue.
Use gloves!
Always wear gloves when working with strong jewelry glue, epoxy, or adhesives intended for metal. These glues can bond skin quickly, and gloves make the process much safer. The tradeoff is that gloves can make tiny pieces harder to handle, so keep tweezers nearby to help position small or rounded embellishments.
Plan where the pieces will go.
Before opening the glue, arrange your pieces inside the findings to see what fits. This is especially helpful if you’re using vintage jewelry components, round beads, or pieces that weren’t designed for cabochon settings. Flat-backed cabochons will fit the easiest, but rounded pieces can still work if you’re patient and build the arrangement carefully.
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Glue the pieces into place.
Add a small amount of glue to the dish section of the earring finding, then place the first embellishment into the glue. If you’re using multiple small pieces, it can help to glue one piece first, let it start setting, and then fit the remaining pieces around it.
Add a little extra glue only where needed so the pieces bond to each other and to the earring base.
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Use less glue for flat-backed cabochons.
Actual cabochons are designed to fit neatly into these findings, so they don’t require much glue. Fill the dish only partway, then press the cabochon into place. Too much glue can overflow, stick to your work surface, or damage the look of delicate pieces like pearls.
Glue-in settings work best when there is enough surface area for the cabochon to bond and when you use an adhesive suited to the materials being joined. You might want to use tweezers to place the things in the earring findings if you’re having trouble managing the small pieces.
Repurpose old vintage jewelry pieces.
If the vintage jewelry you’re going to be using isn’t valuable, you can take the piece apart and reuse them. Make sure to check so that you’re not destroying pieces that are real silver or gold!
Old costume jewelry is perfect for this kind of project. If you have a post earring you no longer wear, remove the post with pliers by gently wiggling it back and forth until it comes loose.
The small bump left on the back can actually help the piece sit in the glue and make contact with the dish of the earring finding.
Make sure the dangle area isn’t glued.
After the pieces are glued in and the piece dries enough to handle, check that the loop where the hook attaches can still move freely. If glue gets into that connection, gently wiggle it before the glue fully cures so the earring will still dangle properly. Also check that the back of the earring is not stuck to your work surface, especially if any glue overflowed.
Let the earrings dry completely.
Once everything is in place, leave the earrings alone so the glue can set. Drying time will depend on the adhesive you use, so follow the instructions on the package. Before wearing or gifting the earrings, make sure the decorative pieces are secure, the glue is fully dry, and the dangle hardware moves the way it should.
This is a fun, simple way to turn broken vintage jewelry, unused post earrings, cabochons, pearls, and tiny charms into wearable earrings. The key is to choose pieces that fit the shallow dish, use the right amount of glue, and check everything before the adhesive cures. With a little patience, you can make a whole set of cute custom dangle earrings from supplies you already have.
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