You can also make sterling silver headpins with this wonderful tutorial. To avoid the discoloration or brown color mentioned by mariecristine on your headpins try with this: After you make your sterling silver headpins, put them into a small pot and cover them with about 1 inch of plain white vinegar and boil them for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the brown color is gone, then tumbler them to make them shine!!! I do this all the time!!! Hope this helps!!!

In a pinch, you can make headpins from fine silver on a gas stovetop instead of using a torch. You can use the same tools as in the tutorial.

Turn the flame up very high, and make sure that the wire is in the hottest part of the flame.
Because the temperature fluctuates, the ball may need to be left in the heat a fraction of a second or two more, or it will have a little pointy nubbin or be oblong.
If this happens, just carefully heat it again.

The whole process is easier to see if you dim the light or stand in front of the light source.