By Kimberly Burkard

We've all seen beautiful examples of jewelry made with seeds from plants that can only grow in tropical rain forest locations. We too can grow beautiful seeds to use in jewelry. The eldest of the Three Sisters, maize, is a beautiful example. It comes in a rainbow of jewel-like colors that just ask to be used as beads. This project features earrings made using maize kernel beads. Three different styles with different materials are presented to suggest the variety of styles you might try.

All maize used in this the examples shown were grown in my garden. Earring #1 features the blue-grey kernels of "Hopi Blue Dent" and earrings #2 and #3 feature two different colored kernels (pearl white and burgundy) of the multi-hued "Painted Mountain."

Supplies Needed

Earring #1 (Silver & Turquoise)

• 2 dried corn kernels
• 2 size #11 crystal seed beads
• 2 sterling silver earwires
    (22 gauge, fishhook w/ ball & coil)
• 2 sterling silver 2-inch, 26 gauge headpins
• 2 turquoise rondelles, 6x3mm

Earring #2 (Chevron & Gold)

• 2 dried corn kernels
• 2 size #11 crystal seed beads
• 2 chevron beads approx. 10x5mm
• 2 gold-filled french hook earwires
• 2 gold-filled 1.5-inch, 22 gauge headpins

Earring #3 (Silver & Garnet)

• 2 dried corn kernels
• 2 sterling silver earwires
    (22 gauge, fishhook w/ ball & coil)
• 2 sterling silver 2-inch, 26 gauge headpins
• 4 garnet beads, 3mm

See vendor resources below for sources on where to get all the materials used.

Tools Needed

• Jewelry pliers like round-nose pliers. Needle nose pliers will work.
• Flush cut pliers or another tool capable of clipping fine wire
• Hand awl or a hand drill/Dremel tool with a very fine drill bit
• Small vise. If you do not one, a hinged clothespin will work to hold
    the kernels for drilling.
• X-acto knife

Instructions

1. Select only completely dried, well-formed corn kernels. The flat-sided and hard dent or flint corns generally work best. Trim any rough spots off the end of the kernel - do not cut into the kernel.

2. Use a small vise or clothespin to hold each kernel so it can be drilled long ways. Drill the hole. If you use a hand awl, the hole will have a larger bore and you will need to put it through the middle of the flat side of the kernel. Adjust the complementing bead sizes as needed.

3. Carefully trim or smooth any rough spots from drilling.

4. String beads and corn kernel onto headpin. Bead order:

• Earring #1 - seed bead, kernel, turquoise rondelle
• Earring #2 - seed bead, kernel, chevron bead
• Earring #3 - garnet bead, kernel, garnet bead

5. For small gauge wire (i.e. 26 gauge), put headpin through the loop on the fishhook earwire. Use pliers to bend and loop the wire with the top of the loop being 3-5mm above the top bead. Use pliers to pull the free end of the wire around the headpin shaft, leaving a loop at the top to work down to the top bead coiling the wire 3-4 times. Trim excess. Use pliers to pinch the trimmed end flush with the rest of the coil.

6. For the heavier gauge wire (i.e. 22 gauge), use the pliers to bend the wire at the top bead 45 degrees to the left. Use the tip of the pliers to grip wire at the top bead. Use your fingers or other pliers to bend the wire to the right, curling it around the plier nose until it crosses the headpin shaft. Trim the excess wire beyond where it crosses the shaft. Adjust loop shape as needed. Loop onto fishhook earwire.

Note: If you are new to wire bending for jewelry, try out your wire bending skills with a similar gauge inexpensive brass or copper wire first. It is costly to learn on precious metals! I hope you enjoy this project!

Vendor Resources

Earrings #1:

• Seed bead, Delica, glass, transparent rainbow crystal, #11
• Earwire, sterling silver, 18mm flat fishhook with ball and coil with open loop, 22 gauge
• Headpin, sterling silver, 2-inches long, 26 gauge
• Bead, turquoise (D/S), 6x3mm rondelle

Earrings #2:

• Seed bead, Delica, glass, transparent rainbow crystal, #11
• Bead, chevron glass, multicolored, 4x2mm-12x8mm mixed shapes
• Earwire, 14Kt gold-filled, 13mm fishhook with open loop, 21 gauge
• Headpin, gold-filled, 1-1/2 inches long, 22 gauge

Earring #3

• Earwire, sterling silver, 18mm flat fishhook with ball and coil with open loop, 22 gauge
• Headpin, sterling silver, 2-inches long, 26 gauge
• Bead, garnet, 3mm round

Ears of various colors of maize can be purchased at farmers' markets in late summer through late fall. But even better, grow some maize yourself. If you don't know where to get such seed, check the the vendors listed in the 'Vegetable/Food Crop' section of a gardening article I wrote. The vegetable seed vendors listed all sell heirloom/open-pollinated varieties of maize. Try growing some in your own garden for food or for crafts.

As a bonus, some of the colored maize even has colored corn husks which lend themselves beautifully to corn husk crafts.