The big drop - how to DIY J Crew Mardi Gras earrings

J.Crew Mardi Gras Earrings (see more steel earrings)

While statement sunglasses - not forgetting a particularly ubiquitous Dior offering-  might have been ruling the roost in the must-have item stakes, Style.com assures us that super-sized earrings are the statement piece-du-jour on the fashion week street style circuit. It's a daring feat for a bold statement;  pulling off massive hoop earrings and drawing attention to the ear, as an erogenous zone, are both a challenge. However, the instant potential to dress up the most effortlessly casual of outfits with these earrings makes them worth the investment - and worth the effort if you're making your own.

You will need...

* You need flower beads, peach faceted beads and peach faceted drop beads.

Not pictured

Pliers

2 fish hook earring fastenings

Difficulty

Medium

This was more challenging than I expected; I'd say it required moderate technical skills and a lot of care and manual dexterity, otherwise it could get very messy.

Time

4 hours.

Just a drop or two...

Cut out two large circle shapes out of fibreglass, with two cut out circles inside them, near the top.

Pierce some holes along the bottom of each shape and one at the top. Thread some short strands of wire through each one.

Mix some resin and hardener and douse the fibreglass with it. Paint some brown blotches of varying thickness to give the fibreglass a tortoiseshell effect.

Attach the beads and hooks by threading each wire though each bead or fish hook and twisting them together with the pliers so that they're secured.

Glue the flower beads and diamantés in place.