How to Make a Ring From Vintage Earrings

My sisters and I inherited quite an eclectic collection of costume jewelry from our grandmother. Some of the jewelry was broken, and there were some lonely earrings without mates. All of the earrings were clip-on, and some of them were the funny kind of clip-on backs that really pinched! I still loved to wear them when I was little, and learned early on that sometimes a woman sacrifices comfort to look cute!

When I started seeing large cocktail rings come back into fashion, a lot of what I was seeing looked a whole lot like my grandma’s earrings- so I converted them into rings. It was really easy, and now my grandma’s jewelry is out of the box it has been kept in, and part of my daily collection.  And today, I will show you how to make a ring from vintage earrings!

Here is what you will need to learn how to make a ring from your own jewelry. Keep in mind, I have seen inexpensive vintage jewelry in thrift stores, and in online auctions.  You could even keep your eye open for interesting new pieces, or convert some of your existing jewelry.

How to make a ring from vintage earrings supplies:

• E-6000 Glue
• Jewelry Pliers ( l like the end nippers style for this project)
• Ring Blanks (either stretchy style or adjustable)
• Vintage Earrings
• A Large Container of Rice

How to make a ring instructions:

Figure out how to remove the backing off of your earring. Mine were clip-on, and came apart into two pieces.

I used the pliers to bend some metal prongs and release the top portion of the earring back.

A lot of vintage earrings are attached to metal of some sort. Leave the metal intact if you can- it will help support the final ring. It just needs to be able to sit flush on top of a ring blank.

If there is any metal that is poking out, and will not allow you to attach the earring flush to the ring base, you will need to remove it. That is where the nipper end pliers come in handy.

When the earring surface is fairly flush, apply a generous amount of clear E-6000 adhesive to the back of the earring.

Center your earring on the ring blank.

And then set your ring inside the container of rice.

The rice will hold the ring in place, and hold it upright while the glue dries. Otherwise E-6000 tends to slide around a  bit.

Check the rings after 15 minutes or so, to make sure the placement hasn’t shifted. If it has- just slide it back to finish drying. Allow the rings to dry fully. It takes a few hours.

Once the glue is cured (about 24 hours, according to the adhesive directions) your creations are ready for a night out on the town!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this how to make a ring tutorial!

Old jewelry= new life. A fun, easy, and rewarding project.

Shaunte

Shaunte is a 30-something, chocolate-loving, SAHM from Utah. She has been scrapbooking since 1997, the dreaded era of photos cropped with deco scissors. Since then, her work has evolved into a clean, linear, photo-focused style. Her favorite subjects to scrap are her husband and five kids (never a lack for subject material there).