How to Make Wire Jewelry Displays
Jewelry display racks can be expensive, especially when you are just beginning to sell your wares. Inexpensive, attractive and durable jewelry racks can easily be made from a combination of steel and copper wire commonly available at any hardware or home improvement store. These free-standing racks can also be used to display small packaged items.
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Things You'll Need
- 6 feet by 1/4-inch diameter copper ground wire
- Measuring tape
- Black permanent marker
- Spool of 16-gauge black annealed-steel wire
- Needle-nose pliers
- Wire cutters
- Hand-held, rotating grinding tool
- Clear or colored, rust-inhibitive spray paint
Instructions
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1
Mark the center point of the copper wire with a black permanent marker. Measure 6 inches on each side of the center, so that you have a 1-foot-wide section marked at the center point. Use needle-nose pliers to bend it into a square-bottomed "U" shape, as in the diagram. Use the edge of a bench or table if you want sharp corners.
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2
Mark your copper wire at a point 18 inches from the top of the U. Bend legs at that point to approximately 110 degrees as in diagram 2, to make feet for your rack. This will allow it to stand on its own.
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3
Wrap black annealed-steel wire around one leg of your copper stand, 3 inches from the top of the rack. Black annealed-steel wire is also called baling wire, mechanic's tie or rebar tie. It is available at most home improvement or farm and tractor supply stores. Stretch the wire to the other leg and wrap it around several times until there is a 3- to 4-inch space from the first wire crosspiece as in diagram 3. Stretch your steel wire back to the original side and continue until the rack has the desired number of crosspieces.
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4
Cut off the ends of your steel wire. Use needle-nose pliers to crimp the sharp ends smooth against the surface of the copper. Use a hand-held rotating grinding tool to grind away any burrs, if necessary.
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5
Spray-paint your rack as desired and allow it to dry. You will get best results if you use high-quality, rust-inhibitive enamel. Apply several coats, allowing the enamel to dry completely between each one.
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Tips & Warnings
According to Rena Klingenberg, jewelry artist, author, and publisher who makes and sells her own jewelry, portable jewelry displays "should consist of elements that are durable enough to stand up to a bit of travel, lightweight enough to be carried by the weakest person in your group (if you have help when you do shows), and compact enough to fit into a box, bag, or trunk (Reference 1)." According to 25-year artisan and industrial blacksmith and jewelry maker Gypsy Wilburn, "I have tried a lot of different ways to make jewelry racks over the years. This is one of the simplest and least expensive designs that I have used. Depending on the spacing between each crosspiece, this rack can be used to display anything from earrings to necklaces (Reference 2)."
Wear wrap-around eye protection any time you cut or grind metal.
