To make skull earrings, you wire wrap a pin through a spike pendant to form a hidden bail, cap it with a crimp cover, then build a linked drop of a crystal skull bead and bicone above it and hang the whole piece from an ear wire. In this tutorial we use Swarovski crystal beads and spike pendants, all in smoky Crystal Silver Night on silver findings, for a gothic pair that works far beyond Halloween.
As an official Authorised Swarovski Distribution Partner, every crystal we supply comes direct from Swarovski in Austria, available to everyone with no minimum order. Here is everything you need, then the full method.
Project at a glance
- Difficulty: Confident beginner, one wire wrap is the trickiest move
- Time: Under an hour for the pair
- Crystals used: Swarovski skull beads, bicones and spike pendants in Crystal Silver Night
- Technique: Wire-wrapped bail with crimp cover, then linked bead assembly
What you'll need
Quantities make one pair, so scale up for more. Add the beads, pendants, findings and tools to your cart from the cards below. The pliers and cutters are reusable across every project, so browse the full range of tools and accessories to build your kit.
- Swarovski Skull Beads 5750 13mm, Crystal Silver NightThe skulls2
- Swarovski Bicone Beads 5328 6mm, Crystal Silver NightAbove each skull2
- Swarovski Spike Pendants 6480 28mm, Crystal Silver NightThe hanging spikes2
- Silver Plated EyepinsOne for each bail wrap, one for each bead link4
- Silver Plated Crimp Covers 3mmHiding the wire wraps2
- Silver Plated Fish Hook Ear WiresThe earring hooks2
- Chain Nose PliersClosing crimp covers and loops1
- Round Nose PliersForming the loops1
- Side CuttersTrimming the wire1
Shop this project
Everything you need for this build. Quantities are a guide, so adjust to your design.
Not sure how many crystals you need? Use our Crystal Calculator to estimate by surface area.
How to make skull earrings
Step 1: Wrap the eyepin around the spike pendant
Thread an eyepin through the hole of the spike pendant and use the pliers to bend the wire so it curves down, round through the pendant and back up, like a hook. Wrap the pin once around itself, as tightly as you can, and trim all the excess with the side cutters. The wrapped section must stay as small as possible to fit inside the crimp cover in the next step. It should look something like this:
Step 2: Hide the wrapped wire
Take an open crimp cover and use the chain nose pliers to gently press it closed over the wrapped section. Once closed it looks like a classic smooth silver bead, and you have essentially created a DIY pendant bail. This component can hang from a necklace or earring just as it is, for a simpler classic look.
Step 3: Build the next link
Use the chain and round nose pliers to twist open the loop at the end of a fresh eyepin, thread on the pendant's bail loop, and twist the opening closed again, leaving a linked connection like this:
Step 4: Add the beads
Thread on the skull bead, followed by the bicone, then use the round nose pliers to bend a loop as close to the bicone as you can and trim away the excess wire with the side cutters.
Step 5: Attach the ear wire
Using the round nose and chain nose pliers together, gently twist open the loop at the bottom of the fish hook ear wire and thread on the top loop of the earring. Always twist loops open and closed rather than pulling them apart, which weakens the metal and makes the loop likely to break later.
Step 6: Make the matching pair
Repeat steps 1 to 5 for the second earring and the gothic set is complete.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make skull earrings?
Wire wrap an eyepin through the spike pendant's hole and hide the wrap under a crimp cover to form a bail, then link a fresh eyepin to it, thread on the skull bead and a bicone, form a loop at the top and hang the whole drop from an ear wire. Repeat for the matching earring.
How do you attach a pendant that has no bail?
Make your own. Thread wire through the pendant's hole, curve it round and back up like a hook, wrap it once around itself and trim, then close a crimp cover over the wrapped section. The cover hides the wire completely and looks like a classic smooth silver bead doing the hanging.
What are crimp covers?
Small open metal beads designed to snap shut over a crimp or wire wrap. Pressed gently closed with chain nose pliers, they disguise the working parts of a design as a clean round bead, which is exactly how the spike pendants in this project get their seamless hanging point.
What colour is Crystal Silver Night?
A dark, smoky gunmetal with a mirror-like metallic sheen, one of the moodiest finishes in the Swarovski palette. Used across the bicone, skull bead and spike pendant together it gives the whole earring a unified gothic look that still catches the light from every facet.
Why wrap the wire only once?
Because the wrapped section has to fit inside a 3mm crimp cover. One tight wrap with all the excess trimmed keeps the bundle small enough for the cover to close completely; wrap twice and the cover will not shut, leaving the working wire on show.
Make it your own
Crystal Silver Night is the moodiest choice, but the same build in Crystal AB turns ice-queen, and a single spike-and-skull drop makes a striking necklace pendant too. For more skull and earring makes, see the crystal Halloween skull and learn how to make heart drop earrings, or explore the full Craft Studio.
