Valentine Conversation Hearts Earrings

I purchased these plastic conversation heart candies (with hanging loops) on Etsy to make into some fun jewelry. There are lots of other heart choices on Etsy including some pretty clear rainbow ones. You could also make your own from Hearty or polymer clay. I think you could even resin over some real conversation heart candies.  Anyway, I used 22 gauge soft sterling silver round wire.  Even though the loop on the heart is a base metal, I decided that soft sterling wire would be easier to shape into a specific shape.  First, I drew a rough pattern on paper to fit around the plastic heart candy. Then I followed the lines with the wire starting with the lower loop that would be used for hanging the heart and ending with the loop that would be attached to the earring wires.  It takes awhile to shape the wire hearts but patience will result in  somewhat smooth matching wire hearts.  The earrings won't be a perfect match but they ARE handmade and will be worn on earlobes far apart enough that they can't be meticulously compared. As a big, long time fan of conversation heart candies, I am very pleased with the way these earrings turned out and I'm looking forward to wearing them to celebrate one of my favorite days, Valentine's Day...HOORAY!