How to make wire wrapped pendant step by step. Jewelry making from copper wire. Wire wrap tutorial.
Today’s Wire pendant is a great project for anyone just getting started in wire wrapping.
Wire wrapping is a specific jewelry making technique that involves either covering pendants with intricate wire designs or crafting those designs with the wire alone.
Using the wire wrapping your beads, gems and stones you can nicely create some fancy design of the jewelry to wear with any of your dress.
Wire jewelry making tools
To start with, all you need is a little wire in any color and a set of pliers – flat nose pliers, round nose pliers and wire cutters.
Use Flat nose pliers with plastic/nylon jaws to clamp the weaving wire.
Basic weaves. Wire wrap tutorials.
Discover Basic weaves to use with one, two, three and four… wire frames.
Once you know how to achieve the basic weaves, you can do so much with wire work. It is really simple when you know how.
I used 1 mm wire for the frames and 0.4 mm wire for the weaving as this helps to keep the weaving neat.
My tips:
Use appropriate wire thickness.
I make jewelry of wire 1 mm (18 ga) wire for the frames and 0.4 mm (26 ga) thick wire for the weaving.
You can use wire with a thickness of 0.8 mm (20 ga) wire for the frames and 0.3 mm (28 ga) wire for the weaving.
Tension is important when weaving. Too tight and you will pull your frame wires out of shape, but too loose and your weaving will be uneven.
Constantly tighten and snug your wire wraps as you go because if you wait too long and try to tighten out slack it will be very difficult to work your way back to the loose spot. Be sure to tighten everything up after every 2-3 wraps.
When you have finished weaving, trim the weaving wire at the back of the piece, and secure by pressing firmly against a frame wire with flat nose pliers.
Avoid kinks in your weaving wire by catching them before they form. Gently untwist the wire before it is pulled tight.
Copper wire
The wire is, of course, one of the most important supplies when it comes to making wire-wrapped jewelry. It comes in various materials, gauges and strengths, and choosing what you need can be a bit overwhelming. Copper wire is the most common and affordable option, so it is perfect for beginners.
Copper is a popular choice for making jewelry for many reasons. It is a beautiful color and has many possibilities for lovely patinas, is easy to work with, and it is relatively inexpensive to purchase. Most jewelry suppliers should have a wide variety of copper wire sizes, shapes, and tempers to choose from. Copper is slightly softer than sterling silver, but for the most part is still comparable. Copper is often recommended as a great material for beginners who would like to practice working with wire before graduating to the more expensive sterling silver option.
When it comes to gauge, the lower the number, the thicker the wire. The 16-18-gauge wire is hard to bend but holds shape well. The 24-26-gauge wire bends easily but is also easy to damage. When you are just starting out, we recommend investing in a spool of 20-gauge wire and a spool of 26-gauge wire. You will use the 18-gauge wire for most of your projects, and the 26-gauge wire will be handy for embellishments. As you gain more experience, feel free to experience with different gauges to find what you personally like best. Make sure the wire you choose is “half-hard” strength. Half-hard wire holds shape well and is easy to bend, and it’s the best option for beginners.
How to make wire wrapped pendant step by step.
Wire wrap tutorials PDF
