How to Make Jewelry Chain Links
Most jewelry designers don't make their own chain because it is a very time-consuming process, so buying prefabricated chain in bulk is often a more economical choice. However, there are purists who insist on creating their own chain so that all of their pieces are entirely handmade. Even if you don't want to create your own chains from scratch, you can still use jewelry link techniques to create spacer links to use between beads in your necklaces and bracelets.
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Things You'll Need
- Cheap wire
- Project wire
- Round-nose pliers
- Jewelry wire cutters
- Hammer
- Anvil
- Rawhide cloth
Instructions
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1
Purchase two lengths of wire: a cheap type that you can practice on and the more expensive wire that you actually want to use for your links. Both wires should be of the same gauge so that your practice wire is as close to your actual wire as possible.
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2
Cut several small lengths of the cheap wire about 0.25 inches apart. You may want to begin with 0.75 inches, 1 inch, 1.25 inches, and 1.5 inches. Small differences in wire length can make a surprisingly large difference in how your finished link looks, so you will want to experiment a little to make sure you get the product that you find most aesthetically pleasing.
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3
Hold the middle of your wire with round-nose pliers and bend the wire around the base of the pliers with your fingers until you have created a loop. Remove the plier jaw from inside the loop.
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4
Grasp the center of the wire again with your pliers, but this time outside the loop. Bend the wire again around the pliers' base to create a second loop that is directly next to the first one. You should end up with a small figure-eight made out of wire. This is one link in your chain.
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5
Place your link on an anvil, cover it with a rawhide cloth, and tap it a few times with a hammer to work-harden the wire. This helps make sure that your link doesn't break or twist apart under pressure.
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6
Experiment with the different lengths of wire to see which links best suit your needs. You may use larger links for a funky necklace with glass beads, or smaller and more elegant ones to mesh with a pearl bracelet.
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7
Begin creating links with your expensive wire using the described process once you have decided which length of wire to use.
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Tips & Warnings
To form smooth joins in a link, use flush wire cutters. These will produce a flat cut instead of a diagonal cut.
Always hold wire and cutters facing away from you and use eye protection to avoid injury.
