Ronghua Tutorial: How to Make Jade Wheat Ear

Wheat ears carry a quiet sense of abundance and calm, shaped by patience and repetition. In this piece, each grain is formed and assembled one by one, echoing the slow rhythm of growth in the field. It’s a meditative project that rewards care and focus, resulting in a natural, understated beauty that feels timeless and grounding.

Preparation: What You’ll Need

If you’ve purchased our Ronghua Toolkit, you already have everything required!
If not, prepare the following tools:

1. Bristle brush (Medium to soft hardness)
2. Flat iron (the one you use to straighten your hair)
3. Tweezers
4. At least 2 pairs of Scissors
5. wooden sticks / pencils / chopsticks
6. Hair spray or diluted white glue (1:1.15–1:1.2 ratio)
7. Big clips (around 15cm)
8. Twisting boards and wooden blocks (for even tension)
9. Anti-slip powder (optional but helpful)

Full Tutorial Video

Step 1. Align and Arrange the Silk Threads

Start by untying your silk threads. Locate the knot at one end of each bundle and cut it open carefully. This project uses 4 colours of silk to create 3 silk rows.  Refer to the colour diagram below for thread combination details.

The green/yellow row is for leaves. Since we only need a few leaves, this row does not need to be long, so cut the bundle in half.

Step 2. Group and Prepare the Threads

Each silk bundle consists of tiny strand-like structures — these are your individual strands. 
Align all strands neatly and tie them around a thin stick, keeping the ends even. Avoid uneven lengths — this ensures consistent texture later on.

 
Step 3. Make Silk Rows

Repeat the above process to create three silk rows in total. Remember to refer back to the data provided in the diagram for the following rows, as each will differ slightly. Below is an example of a silk row we made. 

Step 4. Brush the Silk Rows

Fix one silk row onto your stand using big metal clips - if you don't have the wooden ronghua stand, that's totally fine! You can refer to our video about alternative solutions to the stand.

Hold the ends of the threads with one hand and brush gently but firmly from top to bottom. Don’t lift the brush midway. A light mist of water will prevent static. You can apply some pressure — silk threads are stronger than they look! Make sure to brush both the front and back sides until the row looks smooth and fluffy. 
 
Everyone uses a different brush and hand speed, so the time it takes to complete this step is also different. Taking my situation as a reference, it took me about 10 minutes to brush this silk row. When you feel the hair is soft and fluffy, you can stop and check. When there is no complete linear distinction between the threads, it's ready:) 

Step 5. Attach Copper Wires

When you feel that the silk is brushed enough, secure its tail with another big clip to your table or anything that can help stretch it taut. Take out one copper wire from the folded end of the row and straighten it. Twist the folded part into a spiral of about 3 cm. Clamp the silk threads between two copper wires and twist the opposite side tightly. Pull both wires taut and continue twisting until they merge into one. Remember, the twisting direction for the left and right end are opposite.

The spacing should be as shown in step 1. 

If you have anti-slip powder, it will be much easier to dip your fingers in it and twist it. 
We highly recommend you watch the video tutorial for this step:)
Once done, remove the silk row from the stand and lay it flat.

Step 6. Cut the Silk Strips

Trim the row’s end neatly, then cut between each pair of copper wires to create even silk strips. When cutting, the scissors must be placed in the middle of two copper wires, otherwise the width of the silk strips will be inconsistent.
If threads stick to your scissors, clean them — it’s usually caused by static or residue. Cut quickly and cleanly for smooth edges. Don't touch the wire or it may get displaced.

Step 7. Center and Twist the Strips

Align the copper wire to the middle of each strip using a flat surface or wooden block.
Once centered, twist both hands in opposite directions to tighten.

 
Next, place the copper part between the twisting boards and continue twisting in the same direction. Stop when the wire feels firm — twisting too far may cause it to break. How do you know if it is tightened enough? If tightened properly, the copper wire should only faintly show. If the copper wire is very visible, it’s not tight enough.

 
Use a fine comb or dense brush to brush them again. Light shedding during brushing is normal. If there’s a lot of shedding, the copper wire wasn’t rubbed tightly.

Step 8. Flatten the Strips

Cut off the strips made from the third row on the lighter-colored end. Next, flatten the silk strips for leaves to create the basic leaf shape. Only do this for the leaf row, not for the wheat grain rows. Heat the mini iron and gently iron from the bottom of the silk strip upward, pulling the strip slowly and evenly. If it’s not flat enough, you can repeat the process.

Prepare the setting liquid. You can use regular hairspray, or mix white glue with water/alcohol at a ratio of about 1:1.15–1:1.2. Soak the silk strips in the liquid and allow it to penetrate gradually. Take the strips out and scrape off any excess along the edge of the container.

Step 9. Shape the Strips

Shape the leaves when the strips are still wet, so work quickly and confidently. Use tweezers to squeeze out excess liquid and form a smooth, curve along the edge of the silk strip. The direction and curvature can be adjusted to your personal preference.

Once shaped, insert the silk strips upright to dry naturally. Never lay them flat. 

Next, trim the shape of the leaf silk strips.

We need to shape the strips differently. For the strips used for wheat grains, hold the copper wire with one hand and rotate it at a steady speed, while using the scissors with your other hand. At the start, keep the scissors almost parallel to the edge of the silk strip and trim away any excess burrs first.

Gradually increase the angle of the scissors to shape the pointed tip of the wheat ear. This step requires good coordination between both hands, so it’s completely normal to work slowly at first. Take your time and trim little by little—patience is key here. Once one end is finished, turn the silk strip around and repeat the process on the other end.

The tool I’m using here is called a bamboo trimming base. It mainly provides support and helps you find the right angle while trimming. For beginners, this tool isn’t required. You can also use your ring finger and little finger on the hand holding the copper wire as a natural support.

When finished, the silk strip should resemble a single grain of wheat—full in the middle and tapered at both ends. You’ll need at least 55 light-colored wheat grains, so this step does take some time. If you get tired, feel free to take a break and come back to it later.

After completing the light-colored wheat grains, we move on to the dark-colored ones. You may notice that the silk strips become slightly shorter after twisting—this is normal. Fewer dark wheat grains are needed; about 26 grains will be enough.

Step 10. Assemble the Wheat Ears

While the leaves are drying, we can start assembling the wheat ears.

Using light yellow silk thread, fold it in half and begin wrapping with the folded end. Hold the folded thread with one hand, and with the other, straighten the thread and wrap upward from where you’re pinching it. This method secures the thread firmly and allows you to wrap efficiently. Wrap around the base of the first wheat grain and back, then add the second and third grains.

Adjust the position of each wheat grain as you go so they’re staggered and look natural. After adjusting, wrap the thread another three to five times to secure everything. The number of wheat grains added each time depends on the overall structure you’re aiming for—sometimes one, sometimes several. You can also follow the order shown in the video.

After all the grains are assembled, you should have two light-colored wheat ears (one larger with 40 grains and one smaller with 15 grains) and one dark-colored wheat ear with 26 grains. At this point, I cut off all the copper wire. Some people prefer to leave a bit of wire for a more natural look—this is up to you.

Once the shaping is complete, start wrapping the wire. If your annealed copper wire isn’t long enough, you can attach an extra piece to extend the overall length.

With that, the wheat ears and leaves are finished. Now we move on to the final assembly. The wrapping method remains the same as before. If the separate wrapping thread in your material kit isn’t enough, you can use light yellow silk thread instead.

Trim the excess annealed copper wire at an angle. If you run out of thread, simply refill and continue. Use a lighter to carefully burn off any remaining burrs. Fold the last section of the copper wire back on itself, cut off the excess, and wrap it again—this gives a cleaner, more refined finish.

Step 11. Attach the Piece to the Base

Finally, take the base you want to use, whether it be a hairpin or a brooch, and begin tying on the wheat ears. Make sure you wrapped tightly here. Arrange the silk threads neatly so the finish is clean and secure.

To finish invisibly, take a small piece of copper wire or thread and fold it in half. Place it against the main body and continue wrapping over it. Pass the remaining thread through the small loop, then quickly pull the folded wire out from the tail. The thread end will be hidden inside the wrapping, allowing you to safely trim off any exposed silk.

You can watch our video tutorial for this step:)

And that’s it! Congratulations—you’ve completed a wheat ear, and with it, the feeling of the whole coming autumn 🍂