Jewelry Wire Working Techniques

Create colorful and unusual wire jewelry at home using wire.

Wire jewelry is an inexpensive and often colorful way to accessorize any outfit. It is even cheaper if you create the jewelry yourself at home. Jewelry wire is more thin than, for example, sculpting wire, so it is easy to bend, twist and shape into unusual designs. With patience and the proper techniques you can make jewelry reflecting your personality.

Wrapped Loop

Create a wrapped loop at the end of your wire to keep the charms on your jewelry from falling off. Cut a piece of wire two inches longer than you need for your jewelry. Pinch the wire with a pair of round nose pliers one-half inch from the end. Wrap the end of the wire around the pliers until you have a hook. Remove the pliers and pinch the hook with them. Wrap the end of the hook around the main piece of wire three times, forming your loop. Cut off the excess with a flush cutter and pinch the end in safely with your chain-nosed pliers.

Figure Eight

Create a delicate bracelet or necklace by working your wire into figure eight shapes. Wrap one end of your wire around a wooden dowel rod to form the first loop. Pull it off the dowel rod and do the same thing on the other side, but wrap in the opposing direction to make your figure eight. Cut off the wire on the inside of the second loop and flatten with a rubber mallet. Repeat until you have enough figures to make your jewelry. Connect the figures together with metal jump rings. For more decoration, use different colors of jewelry wire.

Coiling Wire

Easily coil your wire into a tight spring for an unusual necklace. Cut a 5-inch piece of wire that will act as the guide wire for your coil. Make marks at one and four inches. Cut a 2-foot length of 18-gauge wire for the coil. Twist one end of the wire at a 45 degree angle to the main part with a pair of pliers. Slip the guide wire into the hole formed by this angle until it is over the one inch mark. Hold the loop with your nondominant hand and proceed to wrap the coiling wire around the guide wire in a tight spring until you reach the four inch mark. Cut off the tail ends on both sides and pull out the guide wire for a ready-to-use coil.

Multicolored Coil

To create a colorful necklace or bracelet, use several coils of brightly colored metal jewelry. Create five or six coils in different colors of the wire and carefully stretch them to three times their original size. For example, a 4-inch long coil is stretched to be 1-foot long. Take two stretched coils and carefully intertwine them in a double-helix pattern. From there, add the other coils one at a time until you have the desired appearance. Use your multicolored coil in your jewelry for an unusual accessory to any outfit.

References

• How-To-Make-Jewelry: The Wrapped Loop
• Jewelry-Tools: Wire Figure 8 Loops Jewelry
• Making Beaded Jewelry: Coiling Wire
• Jewelry-Tools: Coiled Chain