How to Make Wire Jewelry

Making wire jewelry is easy once you understand the basics. With the right tools and practice, you will be able to make your own unique wire jewelry that you can sell, use for gifts or wear.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Round nose pliers
• Chain nose pliers
• Wire cutters
• Beads or other decorative items for your jewelry
• Length of chain to connect your piece
• Jewelry clasps
• 20 or 22 gauge jewelry wire
• Jump rings
• Jig board or wooden dowels for bending wire into particular shapes

Gather Materials and Prepare

1. Begin by setting out your pliers, wire cutters, beads, chain, clasps and wire so they are easy to locate.

2. Select your wire gauge. The higher the gauge number, the thinner the wire.

3. Unwrap a length of wire at least 18 inches long, and 1 to 2 inches longer than your finished jewelry.

4. Snip the end of the wire free from the rest of the wire coil.

Create Your Wire Jewelry

5. Use your round nose pliers to make a loop in the end of your wire.

6. Add beads or other decorations by threading them onto the wire on the straight end, leaving enough room for a second loop.

7. Finish off the section by cutting the wire and securing the beads or decorations with a second loop.

8. Add a length of chain with a jump ring, a small wire ring that can be opened and closed, or by slipping the chain over the loop at the end of the wire.

9. Repeat until the jewelry is the length you desire.

10. Use jump rings or loops to attach clasps to the ends of your jewelry.

11. Experiment by adding more or less chain and varying the bead placement to change the finished piece.

Tips & Warnings

• Be patient. Working with wire can be difficult at first, but with practice it becomes easier.
• Grasp the wire with your pliers, and then move each side from left to right to make it easier to work with.
• Purchase your pliers from a bead or craft store, as hardware store pliers are not fine enough for jewelry making.
• Wire cutters should cut along a diagonal line instead of a straight one.
• When winding wire around a jig board or dowel, be sure to wind it loosely enough so that you can remove it, but tightly enough to stay at the size you desire.
• Watch your fingers when working with pliers and wire cutters, as a pinch can be quite painful.

Resources

• "Bead & Button Magazine" wire loop tutorials
• Wire jewelry tools, designs and advice at WigJig