How to Make a Wire Wrap Rosary Bracelet

Wearing a rosary bracelet means never being without your rosary. But these bracelets can be expensive to buy. Making a wire wrap Rosary bracelet yourself is the same difference as making a wire wrap bracelet of any kind, other than adding the crucifix and Miraculous medal charms. These bracelets can be a single decade wire wrap bracelet, with the crucifix and medal, or can be bead strung, wrap around bracelets with all five decades, the crucifix and medal. Here I will show you how to make a single decade bracelet, using pearls and sterling silver wire and findings. (Once finished with the bracelet, have your parish priest bless it for you, then wear it proudly).

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sterling silver wire, 22 gauge hard or half-hard
• Needle-nose jewelry pliers
• Jewelry wire cutters
• ~5/8 inch Sterling silver crucifix charm
• ~5/8 inch Sterling silver Miraculous medal charm
• 11 (4mm) pearls (or gemstone beads or crystals, your choice)
• 23 (2mm) sterling silver spacer beads

1. 
   First bend in wire

   (I'll provide right-handed instructions, but just keep in mind that dominant hand uses the pliers). Cut sterling silver wire into usable lengths, about 2 inches long. Begin by taking first length in left hand and use needle-nose pliers in right hand to grip wire about an inch from one end, to begin bending to make the first loop.

2. 
   First loop in wire

   Gently coax a 2-3mm loop out of the wire by pinching it into a curve with the pliers.

3. 
   Add lobster clasp

   While loop is still “open,” slide on your clasp and prepare to make your first wire wrap.

4. 
   Wrap once...

   Holding the loop firmly with your needle nose pliers as shown in the illustration, take your thumb and forefinger and pull the wire “tail” around the straight length of wire, as close to the loop as you can, and as snugly. This is your first wrap.

5. 
   Wrap twice...

   Wrap the wire again, either pulling the wire around if using a longer length of tail, or pushing with your thumb and finger, if your tail is smaller.

6. 
   Cut excess wire

   Using your wire cutters, cut off any excess tail as close to the coil as you can safely get.

7. 
   Squeeze coil towards loop GENTLY

   Using your needle-nose again, gently squeeze your newly made coil towards the loop to give a nice round professional shape. (Silver is a soft metal so be careful).

8. 
   Flatten down ends

   Also with the needle-nose, flatten down the cut end so you don’t have any “burrs” sticking out. You have just completed your first wire wrap loop!

9. 

   To the open straight end of this link, now add a sterling silver 2mm spacer bead, a 4mm pearl (or the 4mm bead of your choice), another sterling silver 2mm spacer bead, and then prepare to close the link with another 2mm loop and wire wrap coil. (This is the “Our Father” bead).

10. 
    Bend wire

    With the needle-nose pliers, firmly grasp the straight tail of your wire about 2-3mm from the last spacer bead that you added; apply pressure to make a bend.

11. 
    Make loop

    Again coax a 2mm loop out of the wire, by moving the nose of the pliers along the wire and gently pinching it into a curve.

12. 
    Wrap...

    While holding the loop firmly in the pliers’ mouth, wrap the tail around in the gap 2-3 times until the gap is filled.

13. Cut the excess wire as before, and flatten down any ends. You now have the lobster clasp link with the “Our Father” bead.

14. 
    Make large loop for hanging charms

    The next link will have just a silver spacer and a big loop for the medallions to hang. With a new 2” length of wire, start a large loop—at least 4mm in diameter this time.

15. 
    Connect the links together

    Before you close the loop, slide it into the 2mm loop of the lobster clasp link, connecting the two together, then continue with your wire wrapped coil as described above.

16. Add a sterling silver spacer bead, then complete this link with a 2mm loop and wire wrap coil.

17. 
    Clasp loop

    Now that you have the “Our Father “bead link (aka, the lobster clasp link) attached to a spacer link with large loop for the charms, it’s time to finish your clasp. With a new 2" length of wire make another big loop, at least 4mm in diameter. This one you may close right away with a wire wrap coil, as the loop will be held in the “mouth” of the lobster clasp.

18. 
    Finished clasp

    To the straight open end, add a spacer bead, a pearl, another spacer bead, and then close with a 2mm loop and wire wrap coil as before. This is your first “Hail Mary” bead.

19. Now to either end, add 8 more “Hail Mary” beads, all with 2mm loops, sterling silver spacer beads and pearls. Your final “Hail Mary” bead will be added the same as before with this difference. After you have made your loop, attached it to the bracelet on one end, made your coil, added the spacer-pearl-spacer, you start a loop, THEN SLIP THAT OPEN LOOP ONTO THE REMAINING END OF THE BRACELET, then close as before with wire wrap coil. Your final bracelet will have 11 bead links and a spacer link: one "Our Father" and ten "Hail Mary’s" for a full decade, with the spacer in between for the medallions.

20. 
    Rosary bracelet with crucifix and medal

    To complete the rosary bracelet, add a sterling silver crucifix charm and a Miraculous Medal charm with sterling silver split rings to the large loop on the link next to the "Our Father" bead link. Close the silver rings snugly yet carefully. (Make sure they are heavy gauge rings to keep them from pulling open and losing your charms). Have your parish priest bless the bracelet, and feel free to say your Rosary with it anytime.

21. 
    Wire-wrapped beads (14k gold)

    NOTE: For additional ornamentation of your beads, you can wrap the bead itself with wire. In this case, I start with a 3" length of wire instead of 2" and I don't use spacer beads. I make the first loop and coil, add the bead, grasp the wire about 2-3mm from the end of the bead to begin my closing loop as usual, close it by wrapping the wire in a coil in the gap between the loop and the bead, but then continue wrapping the wire around the bead as many times as I can until I get back to the original loop. I finish that bead by wrapping the remaining wire tail around the original coil and press it down snugly with my pliers.

Tips & Warnings

• You can adjust the diameter of the bracelet by wrapping more or less times on each coil, by not using spacer beads, by using 3mm instead of 4mm beads, etc.
• This description does not show the charms; please see Resources below for online sites that sell the charms
• Other wire that can be used: other gauges of silver, 14k gold or gold-filled, stainless steel, brass, or copper
• For online jewelry-making supplies, see Resources below
• HAVE FUN!!
• Silver and gold are soft metals. I have best luck with "hard" rather than "soft" and still must exercise caution with my pliers' pressure.
• The lower the gauge number of wire, the larger the diameter. You may ask to see the wire and decide if it's too hard to work with at the larger diameter, and elect to go with 24 or even 26.

Resources

• Miraculous medal charms
• Crucifix charm
• Jewelry-making supplies
• Buy Rosary bracelets

[wellheck]

on 4/4/2009 How about using real rose beads? I make them from homegrown roses, and they smell heavenly.

[writecornertips]

on 3/7/2009 Beautiful design! I love the idea, it would make a beautiful gift, too.

[mfahrney]

on 3/5/2009 Thanks for a great 'crafty' article...

[amazedanew]

on 3/5/2009 Thank you; my son took most of the photos :)

[jcrush]

on 3/5/2009 fantastic pictures! This looks like something you could make and sell at a craft show. Then they could have them blessed and wear with pride. Right or no? I think so.... teehehee/*****