How to Make Hippy Wire Wraps
Wire wrapping is a creative jewelry-making technique in which a wire is bent and looped around decorative pieces. Hippy twist wrapping, also known as cage wrapping, is a simple form of wire wrapping that creates eye-catching pieces. Wire-wrapped jewelry can be customized to fit your personal style, and the design possibilities are unlimited. It may take a few attempts before you can bend the wire into the design that you want, but it is a project that can display your favorite stones or pendants.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- 20-gauge wire
- Wire cutters
- Round-nose pliers
- Stone
- Ruler
- Permanent marker
- Non-acetone nail polish remover
Instructions
-
-
1
Unravel 24 inches from a spool of 20-gauge soft wire and straighten it by pulling it with your thumb and forefinger. Straight wire is easier to bend around stones and pendants. Wire can be purchased from a craft store or hardware store.
-
2
Cut the wire into two 12-inch pieces with wire cutters. Find the middle of both wires and make three twists at this point with round-nose pliers. Twist the shorter wire around the longer one and push the longer end of the twisted wire open so that it creates an “L” shape. This where you will lay your stone.
-
-
3
Bend the twisted wire against the top side of the stone and twist the two shorter wires halfway around it with round-nose pliers. Twist the longer wires around the other side until you reach the center and fold them across the stone. You can measure and mark off the center of the sides with a permanent marker to line them up.
-
4
Spread the wires apart so that one crosses over the front and one crosses over the back of the stone. Flip the stone over and do the same thing to the other side. Make sure that the wires are parallel on the front and back. Pull the wires so that they fit tightly around the stone and continue twisting down both sides.
-
5
Create a loop with the rest of the longer wire at the top of the stone. Wrap the wire around the bottom of the loop with the pliers, but be sure to make the loop large enough so that you can slide a chain through it.
-
6
Cut off any excess wire with the wire cutters and bend back any pieces around the stone with the pliers. Be sure to check around the wrap to find any loose ends that need to be trimmed. Remove any permanent marker from the wrapped stone by lightly wiping it with non-acetone nail polish remover.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
You will need to use stronger pliers if working with anything lower than 20-gauge wire.
It is not necessary to invest in expensive in wrapping tools, but beginners may want to buy extra wire to practice on.
Consider using a stone with flat edges for your first attempt at wire wrapping because it is easier to bend wire around.
Adding too much pressure during wrapping can break your wire.
