Origami Crane Earrings

I saw a pair of these in a store and thought to myself, "I can make those." So I did.

Cutting.


Folding.


Lacquering (clear nail polish, really).


Installing gold hardware.


I folded these cranes from origami paper purchased in a Japanese bookstore nearby. With full-size cranes, you can get away with thicker paper, but these tiny birds needed the thinner paper. Plus, the patterns make for some pretty earrings.



The origami paper was originally 6" square. I cut it down to 1.4" in size. Once folded, I applied 3-4 coats (lost count, really) of a clear nail laminate, making the cranes stiffer and more durable, with the added benefit of giving them a glossy look. The jewelery hardware is 14k gold plate. From cutting to the hardware, each crane took no more than one hour.