Do It Yourself Jewelry Projects and More

Wire Weave Teardrop Pendant

2/6/2018

Wire weaving can be very ornate and a bit daunting to attempt if you haven't tried it before, but you shouldn't let that keep you from giving it a go. I came up with a little trick after many failures to making a more uniform bezel and I began with a simple two wire base to get myself started. This smaller teardrop stone sits very well and securely and look beautiful in this design. The teardrop is the easiest shape besides a round for beginners, but with more practice and a little tweaking I am certain it could be used for almost any shape you wish to wrap. Let's give weaving this pendant a try shall we?

Tools

Round nose pliers
Flat nose pliers
Flush Cutter
Ruler
Sharpie
¼” dowel
½” blue painter tape

Materials

18g wire 18”
26-24g wire 3 ½-4 ft
¾ ” teardrop stone

Directions-Prep

Cut 18gauge wire into two even pieces (9”)
Lightly hammer these wires to slightly harden if using copper or soft wire
Mark center of the wires then mark out 1” on either side of the center mark

Weaving

Wrap 1”of thinner wire around one 18g wire on the outside the outer marks heading toward the center of the wire, one side of the wire only.
Place 18 gauge wires one on either side of the ¼” dowel not quite in the dowel center and tape them and the dowel together just to the outside of the wrap you just made.
Thin wire now goes over the short side of the dowel, then wrapped over and between the outside wire and the dowel.
Wrap around and between the wire and dowel three times

Weave back under the dowel and back to the first wire and wrap it three times
Alternate weaving back and forth under the dowel, until you get to the last mark on the wires
Be sure to keep smooshing the wires together and keep them about the same distance apart on the dowel as you weave.
Now trim wire 1” and wrap 18 gauge wire to finish weave ( it should be on opposite sides to the beginning of this weave
Trim and flatten wire towards the inside

Remove tape and shape the hammock around your stone. Shape as needed carefully
Bend front and back wires at top to capture the stone
Place the ¼” behind the tails at the base of the top of the pendant stone
Wrap two back wires around the ¼” dowel to create a bail leaving tails flat against the stone back

Using front wires wrap around the bail twice so tails end in the stone front
Trim and file front wires
Curl the front wires flat to make a pretty design and to help secure the stone.

Trim back wires and file
Curl them up towards the bail to finish ends

Make sure to visit my Etsy shop for something a little different!

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Wire Wrap/Weave Donut Pendant

1/30/2018

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Donut stones can be quite stunning, but they can be equally confusing as to how to wrap them in a complimentary way. I love this wrap because it alternates between an open stone area to a wrapped area and back and forth. I also love how it has space between the frame and the stone making feel like it is floating. It is not a wrap that hides to much of the stone and it has a modern character. So if you want to learn how to wrap a donut stone into a frame like an expert, let's get on with it!

Tools

Round nose pliers
Flat nose pliers
Flush cutters
1/4" dowel (for bail)
Dowel for frame 1 1/4"
File
Rubber hammer and bench block (opt)

Materials

30mm Donut
16 gauge wire 8 ½”
24 gauge wire 4 ft

Directions

Wrap 18 gauge wire around the dowel (center it as best as you can)
Bend wires with flat nose pliers up in the center so that they lay next to one another and out away from the dowel in a 90 degree angle
Two inches in on the thinner wire, wrap it around and upward over the 18 gauge wires where they meet at the top of the circle until the two inches is all gone
Flatten the end with the flat nose pliers to tuck it in
Do not cut the long wire!

Take off the dowel and hammer the circle only to harden the frame, do not hammer the thin wire wrap.
Now wrap the thinner wire around the circle frame on one side 5 times
Begin the weave by wrapping the wire in between the stone and the frame then around the stone and back in between the frame and the stone. This creates a little space between the frame and the stone
Now wrap the frame five times before wrapping around the stone again.

Repeat the wrap of frame and stone until you cover ¼ of the frame and stone
End this section by wrapping the frame five times
Cut and flatten the end to the inside of the pendant

Now repeat wrap/weave that you did before starting at the center bottom of the frame heading up.
Begin with the five wraps around the frame then work your way up and end with five wraps
Trim and tuck the end into the inside of the pendant

Place the ¼” dowel behind the 18 gauge tails just above the thin wire wrap
Wrap the tails over the dowel and down the back of the pendant
Trim and file the tails just shorter than the stone hole.
Make tiny loops on the tails up wards and away from the stone

Be sure to go see some of my original work at my Etsy store!

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Twisted Wire Wrapped Pendant

9/26/2017

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This twisted wire wrap technique can be used on any object. It is best for first timers to use objects that have sharp corners and are not smooth. I show both smooth and rough objects so you can see how versatile this technique can be, but smooth objects are more difficult because they want to slip even more as you wrap. Also be aware that the thicker an object is the heavier it will become, so if you like a large pendant try to use ones that are wide, but not too thick.

Tools

Round nose pliers
Flat nose pliers
Emery board or file
1/4"-3/8" dowel
Safety glasses
Sharpie

Materials

Object to wrap
22 gauge wire

Directions

To determine wire length- measure around circumference of the object then multiply this number by three. Round number up if you get a fraction (best to have more than not enough) Example- My object measured 6" around the outside, multiply by three and my measurement is 18"
Cut two 22-20 gauge wires in the length you got in step one. Example- two pieces 18"
Mark the center of both wires. Example- 9"
Place 1/4"-3/8"(depends on how thick the object is, I used a 1/4" for my shell) dowel between the two wires at this mark
Using a twist or bread tie motion twist both wires three half turns around on both sides of the dowel. Be sure to grip the wires tightly and make the twists tight and close together.

Take wire off the dowel and using flat nose pliers widen the opening of the center
Place on bottom edge of object and using fingers mold the wire around the object creating a seat
Then mold the wire ends upward on the edge of the object so one wire of each bundle is in front of the object and one is in back of the object (If you are using a square object like the turquoise stone place the opening onto one corner of the stone not the center or create a twist at the center then make two opening and place these on the corners, either way works but a square is tricky)

Starting at the front of your object take one wire from each bundle and bring them together using the twist tie method with three half turns to make the wires cross in front of the object
Turn object over and repeat the last step to trap the back
Now take the wires on from front and back on either side and repeat step one again to trap one side and then the other
Continue this technique alternating wires from each bundle to a new twist until you have reached the top and are happy with the look.

Take all four wires and twist them two to three half turns at the center top where you want the bail to be
Using the 3/8" dowel wrap all the wires over it front to back and then wrap them under the dowel two times making the bail secure
Now you can continue to wrap and then trim the ends and tuck them in tight and file them or you can get creative. I got creative on a few of course.

Optional finishes for wire end

To attach the wires in a curve fashion on the front- shape them in the curve towards a single wire then trim the ends evenly 1/4" past the wire to be wrapped around
File the ends
Using your round nose pliers make a small loop around the plier and rotate under the wire and tighten up
Do this one wire at a time until all wires are around the wire
reshape the curve if needed

Another option is to simply make small loops or flat spirals at the end or to make curly spirals by simply using your round nose pliers and wrapping the wire around in a spring like fashion. Be sure to file the ends first and make sure the ends are facing the object.

Optional Final step- tighten the wires

I like to finish the wrap sometimes by tightening up the single wires but in some instances it looks nicer to leave them alone as long as the object is very secure like in the Crystal cylinder pendant.
To tighten the wires use your round nose pliers and carefuly twist the wires along the open parts. Be careful not to scratch your object so not to ruin it and all your work
When you have curved wire ends wrapped around a single wire twist above and below to create a dent in which to trap all the curved wires ( look at the one example of my shell below to see what I mean). This helps the curve stay put

*You can do this technique on bead that are flat like I did on the turquoise and pale peach stones, just try to cover the holes at the top and bottom so they look neat and professional.

Be sure to go check out some of my Gallery and see the other unique pieces I have created.

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Wire wrap a stone into a frame pendant

2/28/2017

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I am lucky enough to live on Cape Cod so of course I love to collect beach stones and shells. I can't wait to make them into pendants and it can be a challenge to wrap them without covering to much of their beauty. I also love my pendants to be reversible if possible so not to waste any of the stones character. Many of my students also wanted to learn a style of wrap that was not to complicated and so I created this style of wrap, which I adapted from other designs I had seen by other artist. You can use this style with flatter beads and other objects as well. So let's get started!

Tools

Flat nose pliers
Round nose pliers
Flush cutters
File (emery board)
¼” -⅜” dowel

Materials

16 Gauge wire
24-26 gauge wire 3 1/2-4 ft
Stone, shell, found object flattish or large flattish bead

First we must figure out the frame wire length (16 gauge)

Measuring around the outside of the stone/shell (I roll the stone down the length of a ruler)
Take this number round it up to the next whole number and add 5"
Cut a 16 gauge wire the length you formulated in steps one and two
File ends

Starting in the center of wire shape it around the outside of the stone (it is ok if it is a little larger and the corners do not have to super sharp)
Cross the wire tails at the top
Using flat nose pliers bend the tails where they meet to make them parallel to each other and going up
Cut the 24-26 gauge wire about 2 1/2 “
Wrap this small wire around the two frame wires to secure them to each other
Hammer the frame to make it strong (avoid the thin wrap)

Cut 24--26 gauge wire 3- 4 ft long (depending on size of stone frame size)
Make a small U shape at the center of this wire
Place U bend around the center ish place of the bottom frame and pinch it tight
Begin wrapping on wire up the frame till it makes about ¼” of a wrap
Repeat on the other side of the frame with the other wire
Check to see if this is wide enough on your stone base ( if not continue to wrap wires up on both sides till it still captures the base but looks right)
Each wire will end up on different sides of the frame

Find the next place to wrap the wire on the frame by wrapping it over the stone and across the front of the stone. The placement of the wrap should capture the stone and leave a small space between it and the last wrap (about ¼”, less if a small stone)
Drop stone and wrap the wire up the frame from this spot for about ⅛” or five wraps, making sure to leave the front space for the stone profile (otherwise your stone will not fit when you are done)
If your wraps are too far apart squeeze them together with your flat nose pliers
Your front wire is now in the back
Repeat steps 18-20 with the other wire on the back of the stone, crossing over to the other side
Your back wire is now in front

Continue to repeat steps 18-22 till you reach the about ¼” from the top of the frame, remember to place stone into the work to check fit as you go, eventually you will be able to leave the stone in place as you wrap (usually after two cross wraps)
If you like the look and wish to stop here with the cross wrapping just keep wrapping the thin wire around the frame till you reach the very top
If you want to make more cross wraps going back down the stone to make X’s just go down with each wire underneath the previous wraps
When you reach the last bottom wrap area keep wrapping until you meet up with the center wrapping
Trim the thin wire close and tuck the wire inward towards the stone

Now determine which side of the stone is going to be the front
At the top of the thin wire wrap of the two tails make a bend with you flat nose plier towards the front
Place your dowel right at the top of this bend
Wrap the tails over and around the dowel and forward to one side of the pendant
Leave the dowel in the loop and wrap the wires under and around the base till they are again in front
You may wrap them to the back and trim and tuck the end on them if you are want a clean look or…. Lay them over the front of the stone and make a small loop at the end for a slightly more fancy look.(top wire should be slightly shorter than the bottom one)

Do not fret if you decide you back is prettier than your front because the pendant is truly reversible!

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Tree Of Life Pendant W/Stone

2/14/2017

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Tools

Round nose pliers
Flat nose pliers
Flush cutters
1/4" dowel (for bail)
Dowel for frame 1 3/8"
File
Rubber hammer and bench block (opt)

Materials

16 gauge wire md 8"
24 gauge wire 44"
1 1/4" flat bead

Directions

File one end of 16 gauge wire
Go in from end about 1 1/2" and wrap the wire around the 1/4" dowel
Wrap short tail around long tail until gone to make bail
About 1/8" under the bail make a sharp bend

beginning at the sharp bend bottom wrap the wire around the 1 3/8" dowel
Now wrap the tail around under the bail till it meets the other wrap.
Trim, file and flatten smooth
Hammer the hoop (not the bail) to strengthen the frame (optional, but suggested)

Cut five 8" wires from the 24 gauge
Cut one wire 4" long from 24 gauge
Wrap one end of the 4" wire around the frame four times
Now fold all the other wires in half and wrap three on one side of the shorter one and two on the other side

Grab all the wires and twist them three half turns to make the trunk
Fan them out
Pull towards the back the center most wire away from the others (we will use this later to attach the back bead)
Twist the first two together to make a stem and two branches
Do this with all the remaining wires to make five stems and ten branches

Start on one side and wrap the wire around the frame up towards the bail.
Use flat nose pliers to make sure the end is smooth and flat
continue this wrapping process with the next four wires
When you get to the other side of the bail skip the bead wire, but leave room for it to be wrapped ( about 1/8")
Now begin wrapping the other side starting with the next top most wire and wrapping it up towards the bail
For more branch details carefully use the tips of your round nose pliers to create bends

Place bead onto remaining wire
Feed the wire under the frame to the front of the frame
Wrap the wire from the bail (to center the bead) outward in the remaining space(5 wraps at least to secure it well, gently move the others out to get more space if needed)
Trim excess and flatten with flat nose pliers

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Capturing an undrilled bead, Spiral style

10/4/2016

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Tools

Round nose pliers
Flat nose or chain nose pliers
Cutters
File
Sharpy
Hammer and block (for hardening)

Materials

10 - 12mm round beads
9” 18g wire per bead

Directions

Cut one piece wire 9” long (per bead)
File all ends
Mark center of each wire with sharpy
Make small loop on the ends of the wires going in opposite directions
Spiral around continuously till you reach the center mark on one side

Make same spiral on the opposite end going in the opposite direction to create a very fancy S
Gently hammer the S piece to slightly harden it
Pull up the center loop on one side to make connector *(if you are doing a chain of these beads, pull up the loop on the opposite side as well)

Fold each S in half making a v shape
Gently grab the center of one spiral and pull outward to create a cup
Repeat on other side of spiral
Place bead inside and use fingers to close and shape around the bead
It is now ready to hang

For earrings make an earwire of your choice out of 20g round wire.I have many choices in my Projects section to choose.
This technique can be used for any shape bead, even long styles, just recalculate the length of wire needed and how big a spiral you need. For a long and yet thinner beads you can spiral the wire around a dowel after making the first loop (it will look like a spring).

Also remember to go check out all my handmade jewelry in my on line store.

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Wire Wrapped Cabochon ( Four Wire)

5/11/2016

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Tools

Round nose pliers
Flat nose pliers
Wire cutter
File
¼”-⅜” dowel or a round pen

Materials

20 Gauge wire square or round 32”
20 Gauge half round wire 16”
Cabochon 30mm x 20mm or smaller

*If you choose to use a larger cabochon adjust the length of the square wire to accommodate this change.

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Tree Of Life Pendant

5/4/2016

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Everyone loves a tree of life pendant. You see them at fairs and at shops. They look so difficult to make and a bit mysterious, but I am here to show you that they can be a great do it yourself pendant for beginners to wire jewelry. With just a few tools and a bit of practice you will be making this Tree of life for all your friends, in every color imaginable.

Tools

Round nose plier
Flat nose plier
Cutter
1/4" dowel
File
Dowels for frame sm 1 ¼”, md 1 ⅜”, xl 2”

Materials

16g wire for frame (sm) 7”, (md) 8”, (xl) 9”
24g wire for Tree (sm) 28”, (md) 32”, (xl) 36”
Assortment of stone chips or xsmall (2mm) beads

Directions

Cut 16g to length needed and file ends of wire
About 1 ¼ from one end of 16g make a large loop around the 1/4"
Wrap the short tail around the long one 2 times.
Make it lay smooth and file the end
Make a bend 1/8"-1/4"from bottom of wrapped bail

Shape long tail around large dowel and then wrap under bail once or twice to meet up with the other wrap.
Cut any excess, tuck in tight and file smooth
Remove frame from large dowel
Hammer frame to make it stronger, being careful to not hammer the bail.

Cut 24g wire into 4 pcs (sm)7”, (md)8’, (xl) 9”
File all ends
Fold each wire in half leaving a small u bend at centers
Starting at the center bottom wrap each wire around the frame 2 times on each side one next to the other, making a coil around the frame

Push all coils close together.
Take all eight tails and twist tie them together three to five times. This is your trunk and the shorter (less twists) it is, the fuller your tree will be.

Separate all the tails into branches
Flip tree up in front of frame
Twist tie together the second and third tails three times
Then do the same on the opposite side of tree

Now twist tie the top center tails 5 times .
Bead wire starting on one side and working your way around the frame ( picture shows starting at the top, but I found this much more difficult as I went)
Wrap remaining tail after placing beads onto wire around frame in a downward coil around the frame and tighten with your flat nose.
Check for any rough edges and smooth them out
Feel free to adjust branches if needed and retighten

For an optional look add a flat bead in ne wire as a moon or add a tiny bird, use your imagination and make it fun. You can also do it in wire only for a skeleton tree, add more branch wires so it won't look to spares. Or make it really large for a Christmas ornament or suncatcher.

To check out some of my beautiful jewelry just click here!

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Cross wrap Pendant

2/2/2016

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Another great project for those found objects, stones, shells and odd shape pieces. This pendant is simple in technique yet powerful in it's beauty. You can also tuck the wires under the base wire for a cleaner look, I got the inspiration for this pendant design from Eva Marie Sherman's Infinity wrap published in Wire Jewelry magazine February/March 2015 issue.

Tools Materials

Round nose pliers 1. 3 ft 20 gauge round wire
Flat nose pliers 2. Stone or found object
Cutters
File
¼” Dowel

Directions

Cut three pieces of 20g into 12” long
File ends
Holding wires parallel to each other find the center
Wrap at the center around a ¼” dowel just till wires cross
Wrap one set of wires around the other to create a bail

Place stone into wires right up under the basil and wrap, three wires in front of the stone and three in the back
Wrap front wires down the front then up the back to become parallel to the back wires
Hold back wires with thumb and bend them up to a 90 degree angle at the center
Now put thumb on both sets of wires and cross the front wire in the opposite direction 90 degrees to make a cross

Flip stone over and pull each set of wires across the stone to meet parallel across the stone center
Hold center with thumb and cross each set of wires 90 degree angle in opposite directions just like on the back
Continue the spiral trying to keep the wires flat

Wrap The tails up around/under the bail one full time to end up in the front. Trim and curl the ends to finish them off.

*For a more advanced design trim the tails 1/4" past base wires instead of wrapping them around the bail, then curl them under the base wires. Be careful not to scratch the stone or object. You can use an awl to bring the base wires away from the object to make it a bit easier. Then if stone is to loose tighten the bail wires by placing the dowel into the bail and twist until the wires tighten up around your object.

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Wire weave Teardrop Pendant

8/4/2015

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Tools

Round nose pliers
Flat nose pliers
Cutter
Ruler
Sharpie
⅜” dowel
Ring mandrel or 1” dowel

Materials

18g wire 18”
26-24g wire 24”
¾ ” teardrop stone

I love to do Custom work, let's get creative and make something really special!

Directions

Cut 18g wire into two even pieces(9”)
Mark center of the wires then mark out 1” on either side of the center mark
Wrap 1” of thinner wire around one 18g wire on one of the outer marks heading toward the center of the wire.
Holding second 18g wire begin wrapping around the second wire three times
Weave back to the first wire and wrap it three times

Alternate back and forth just before you get to the last mark on the wires
Be sure to keep smushing the wires together and keep them ¼” apart as you weave.
Now wrap 1” of coils around the 18g wire to finish weave
trim and flatten wire
Shape wire woven wires around the 1” dowel or ring mandrel to make a hammock for the stone bottom.
Shape as needed carefully around the stone, you may use painters tape to help hold the stone( I found the tape would not stay on my stone because it was so small and smooth)

Bend front and back wires at top to capture the stone
Wrap back wires around the ⅜” dowel to create a bail leaving tails flat against the stone back
Using front wires wrap around the bail twice so tails end in the stone front

Trim back wires, file them and curl them up towards the bail to hide ends
Trim and then curl the front wires flat to make a pretty design and to help secure the stone.