How to Make Wire Sculpture Bracelets
The great thing about making wire sculpture bracelets is that you can get started with a minimal initial investment. Plus, the supplies are easy to carry around, so you can make bracelets everywhere you go. With a just a few tools and supplies, you can learn to make beautiful sculpture bracelets.
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Things You'll Need
- Round-nose jewelry pliers
- Flat-nose jewelry pliers
- 2 sizes of jump rings
- Metal craft or jewelry wire
- Polished stones or small found objects
- Bracelet clasp
- Wire-wrapping jig
Instructions
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Getting Started With Wire Sculpture
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Choose jewelry-making or craft wire for your project. Craft wire comes in various colors, and jewelry supply stores also will have wire in silver and gold. Pick a gauge of wire useful for sculpting. A 30-gauge wire is probably too fine for sculpting and could break easily. Anything thicker than 20-gauge wire will be more inflexible and difficult to wrap and bend. Try to find wire in between these two gauges. Remember, the larger the gauge number, the thinner the wire will be.
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2
Use a wire-wrapping jig. This can be a manufactured jig that consists of a peg board with removable pegs or a piece of wood with nails arranged for a specific shape. Arrange your nails or pegs where you want bends or loops in your wire. Use your metal cutters to cut a length of wire. Make sure your cutters are sharp to avoid jagged edges on the end. Wrap the wire around your jig pegs to create a shape you like. Experiment with loops and figure eights around the pegs until you are satisfied with the shape.
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3
Try using your wire to create settings for stones and sculptural elements. Plan the addition of loops on each side of the piece to connect it to the other elements of your bracelet. Create loops by wrapping the wire around the tip of your round-nose jewelry pliers. Create angular bends in the wire with your flat-nose pliers to enclose the stones or found objects you want to add to your bracelet.
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Link the bracelet components together. You can use jump rings to attach the components together, or create wire elements with looped ends to connect them. Use a jump ring to attach the bracelet clasp. Choose a jump ring approximately 4 to 5 millimeters in diameter and twist it open with your pliers. Thread the open ring through the loop of the component at one end of your bracelet and the ring on the end of your clasp. Close the jump ring carefully to avoid damaging the metal. On the other side of the bracelet, attach a larger jump ring for fastening your clasp.
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Tips & Warnings
Make sure you can find matching metal components for all parts of your bracelet before you get started.
