The Fan Zone - Let's Make Sports Jewelry!

Hey there!

I understand the need to look super cute when attending sporting events or watch parties. In the new year your CleatSheet Fan Zone is going to make sure you make a fashionably, sporty entrance. Today we’re going to talk jewelry.

If you search online you can find so many cute earrings, bracelets and necklaces. I looked on Etsy and found jewelry for just about every team and sport. You could spend tons of dollars on all the cuteness.

Or could make your own jewelry.

Yep. You can make your own nice jewelry for just a few dollars.

I spend a lot of time in craft stores so it didn’t surprise me to see sports jewelry. And, if you want to make jewelry but aren’t sure how, you can usually find a jewelry making class once a week for a reasonable price or a tutorial online for free. I’ve been to a couple of classes before so I opted to just head over to the bead and jewelry section of my local craft store. I simply picked up some charms, silver arched ear wires, 7mm jump rings and some wire bangles.

I already had a set of 3 in 1 pliers from a class that I took years ago. If you don’t have them, they cost a few dollars and a coupon brings the price down even more.

The earrings were super easy to make. I found these rhinestone footballs on sale. They were the perfect size! The ear wires were great for dangling earrings and this $4 packet came with 3 sets of ear wires.

I removed everything from the package and got to work. I wanted a little more dangle in my earrings so I pulled out my jump rings.

Jump rings connect two jewelry pieces together. In doing so, they lengthen and give movement to jewelry. By adding 1 jump ring to connect the football to the ear wire, you give your earrings movement. If you wanted more movement, you could add two jump rings together and make them dangle a little farther.

Opening a jump ring isn’t difficult. Use your jewelry pliers and twist ever so slightly to open the ring just a tiny bit. You don’t need a large opening to string your two jewelry pieces together. Next, twist the ring back in place. If you only open and close your ring once, the integrity of the wire should be fine.

The bracelet was just as easy as the earrings! This pack of 3 bangle bracelets was super cheap. You can go with this one or you can find sterling silver or gold plated for a few dollars more. I also picked up basketball, football, soccer and baseball charms.

The charms also needed jump rings. I added one 7mm jump ring on some of my charms and two rings on others. I liked the varied look.

I wanted to keep my bracelet simple but you can add other charms to your bangle as well. I have jewel charms in my craft stash but you can always find them on sale.

If you don’t want to invest in the tools or you like something a bit different, you can try this Instant Gratification by Traditions. They offer so many different types of bracelet bases. If you are thinking a cuff, beaded or leather wrap style, they have it. They also have earring and necklace styles as well.

With these bracelets, you snap your charms and connectors in place instead of threading so you don’t need the extra tools. And, you can change up your jewelry as often as you’d like.