Making Wire Jewelry

Move over, diamonds, wire jewelry may be a girl's new best friend. Cost alone makes wire a much better pal over diamonds, and plenty of other factors also make it fun. Wire can be fashioned into just about any shape you desire, coiled to make striking necklaces or bracelets, or worn as a simple choker bedecked with charms and trinkets. The only limit is your imagination when it comes to making wire jewelry. A few supplies and simple steps will have you on the way to a whole new jewelry wardrobe.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wire
• Pliers
• Snips
• Trinkets (optional)

1. Get your wire. The wire can be of any thickness, color or style you desire, as long as it's not rusted or discolored. Wire is sold at jewelry supply and craft shops, or you can check out your local hardware store for a cheaper variety that will work just as well. See options in "Resources" below.

2. Make an armful of bangles. Use snips to cut a strip of wire that is anywhere from 2-to-6-feet long, depending on how far you want the bangles to reach up your arm. Use pliers to make a small loop at one end of the wire and a small hook on the other end. Wrap the wire around a thin, tall can or glass candle holder to give it shape. Slide it off the can and onto your wrist. Hook the hooked end through the looped end and pinch with pliers to secure into place.

3. Wire up a neck piece. Use the same methods as the bangles, but wrap the wire around a larger base to shape it, a base that is a little thicker than your neck. You can use the same size loops for the entire length of wire as you did with the bracelets, or slowly increase them so you have a wire necklace that begins at your neck and reaches down to mid-chest or longer.

4. Ring it up. Snip a small portion of wire about 3 inches long. Use pliers to make one end into a small loop. Wrap the wire around the desired finger, making sure the wire is loose enough so that it doesn't cut into your skin but is tight enough that the ring won't go flying across the room. Test the size by sliding it on and off as you are wrapping the wire.

5. Create wire adornments. Cut off a workable piece of wire with your snips and use pliers to shape it into an ornament. Sketch something on a piece of paper to help guide you. Wire ornaments work well in animal outlines, swirls, simple circles, geometric figures or whatever your heart desires. Connect the wire together with the loop and hook method to complete your outline. Snip another small piece of wire and use pliers to fashion it into a circle you can place at the top of your ornament to loop through your wire neck piece or other necklace.

6. Wrap a rock or other small object. You can make pretty much anything into a pendant using wire. Snip off a small piece of wire, wrap it securely around the object and make one wire end into a loop to attach to any bracelet or chain.

7. Write your name. Snip off a 5-to-10-inch piece of wire and create script letters of the wire piece to spell out your name or anything else you wish to spell. Leave about 1 inch on either side so you can bend it and make small loops to attach to a necklace or bracelet.

Tips & Warnings

• Once you get going, you can create very elaborate adornments by wiring several shapes together and wearing it as a chest piece. Small, dense, spiraled shapes look great wired together. Small charms and trinkets look great scattered throughout a wire necklace or bracelet. To stop the charms from moving up and down the wire, use small pieces of wire on either end of the charm to better secure it in place. You can also loop extra wire through the charm's loop to secure.
• Beware of sharp edges. Always bend wire ends inward and away from your skin.

Resources

• Hardware store wire
• Jewelry wire

[beadydani]

on 4/21/2009 Very good article, the best I've seen so far on wire. The picture really helps including the tips