How to Make Stud Earrings

Co-authored by Ylva Bosemark

Last Updated: October 22, 2020

Stud earrings are quick and easy to make. You can find unique beads, buttons, and charms to create one-of-a-kind stud earrings for yourself, for your friends, or to sell. You will need to get some special materials together before you start, and then you can create all kinds of different stud earrings.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using Stud Earring Flatbacks

1
Gather your materials. Making stud earrings is easy once you have assembled your materials. Check out your local craft store for earring flatbacks, earring décor pieces, and jewelry glue. Before you get started, you will need:^{[1]
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- Stud earring flatbacks
- Earring décor pieces, such as beads, buttons, pennants, etc.
- Jewelry glue (or super glue)
- Paper towels
- Toothpick
2
Apply glue to the earring flatback. Use the toothpick to apply a dot of glue to the stud earring flatback. You don’t need a large amount of glue, just enough to cover the surface of the earring flatback.^{[2]
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- Superglue also works if you are in a hurry. If using superglue, then you can apply the earring glue directly onto the earring flatback with the tube. Only use a small amount and be careful not to get any on your skin or other surfaces.
- Be sure to work over a paper towel to avoid getting glue onto your table and other surfaces.
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3
Press earring décor onto the earring flatback. Take the piece you want to mount on the earring back and press it onto the glue on the earring flatback. Hold the pieces firmly together for a minute to give them a chance to bond. Then, place the earring on your paper towel to dry the rest of the way.^{[3]
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- If the earring piece you have added has a flat surface, such as a button or flat pennant, then place the earring face down rather than on its side.
4
Allow glue to dry. Leave the earrings alone to dry for a few hours or overnight. It is important to let them dry completely before you wear them.^{[4]
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- If you used superglue, then your earrings will be ready after just a few minutes. However, you may still want to leave them be for up to an hour to let the glue dry and bond completely.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Designing Earrings

1
Look for beads and buttons in craft stores. Craft stores are the best place to find all kinds of different beads, buttons, and other cool things to make into stud earrings. Look for items that have a flat surface on one side. This will make it much easier to attach the items to the earring flatbacks.
- If using buttons for your earrings, you may want to paint over the button with some clear nail polish before gluing it onto the stud flatback. This will make the button shiny if it is a matte button.^{[5]
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  Research source} Let the nail polish dry completely before gluing it onto the stud.
2
Use clay to make your own designs. If you want to create your own beads to glue onto the earrings, then clay beads are a great option. Try getting some air drying clay in your local craft store and then shape the clay into bead to glue onto your earring flatbacks. You can use multiple colors of clay to create interesting designs in the clay.

EXPERT TIP

Ylva Bosemark
Jewelry Maker
Ylva Bosemark is a high school entrepreneur and the founder of White Dune Studio, a small company that specializes in laser cut jewelry. As a young adult herself, she is passionate about inspiring other young adults to turn their passions into business ventures.

Ylva Bosemark
Jewelry Maker

Sketch your ideas as they come to you. Ylva Bosemark, a teenage jewelry designer and entrepreneur, says: "I can't just force myself to think of an idea on the spot; they come very spontaneously. So when I do have an idea, just drawing them really quickly is very helpful because I can look back and find the designs."
3
Make a pair of bow earrings. You can tie ribbon into a bow and then glue the bow onto a flatback for a cute pair of bow earrings. Look for ribbon that is narrow enough to tie into a small bow. Then, tie two equal length pieces of ribbon into bows and glue them onto the earring flatbacks.
4
Create a pair of holiday themed earrings. If you want to make a special pair of earrings for a holiday, such as St Patrick’s day, Halloween, or Christmas, then you can look for holiday themed pieces to glue onto stud earring flatbacks. Craft stores are the best place to find these kinds of items.
- For example, you could glue a four leaf clover charm onto an earring flatback for St. Patrick’s Day, or glue a jack-o-lantern piece onto an earring flatback for Halloween. You can make yourself a pair of holiday themed stud earrings for every holiday of the year!
5
Try using old jewelry. If you don’t want to buy any new beads or other notions to turn into earrings, then you can also convert your old, unwanted jewelry into stud earrings. Try taking apart old necklaces and bracelets and using the beads and charms to create stud earrings.
- Be sure that you no longer want the item and that it is something you can break apart before you try to harvest the beads and charms from a piece of jewelry.
- Use scissors to cut the string holding the beads and charms together.
- Break apart the old jewelry over a bowl or other container to ensure that the beads do not go everywhere.

Community Q&A

Question

Where can I buy earring posts and backs?

Punkhippie11

Community Answer

Amazon, eBay, Claire's, any jewelry store, Walmart, Target, etc. I would recommend stainless steel or gold as a material (as these are the most hypoallergenic and resilient).
Question

What other glue besides super glue could be used?

Community Answer

You can probably hot glue it, as well as using any strong glue (like E-6000).
Question

When using beads, how do I hide the hole on a stud?

BodyBlingPiercings

Community Answer

You could hot glue the hole closed. A better idea is to get a glob of hot glue (from a hot glue gun) and roll it into two small balls. Then use those as the backs. These are more convenient because they do not have holes in the backs unless you push the back of the earring in the ball too far.