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You'll need a simple set of pliers to get started with making wire wrap jewelry. Almost any craft store will have a simple set of pliers available for purchase for about $10. You'll need wire cutters, round-nose, bent-nose, straight, and flat-head pliers. Your pliers set may vary slightly, but make sure you definitely have wire cutters, round-nose pliers, and straight pliers.
Some pliers will have teeth, which will grip materials, but these can be detrimental to the beginning wire wrap artist. Rather than buying a brand-new set of pliers without teeth, you can wrap cellophane tape around the pliers head to ensure that the teeth will not mark your wire.
In addition to pliers, you will also need a metal file and a handful of beads for experimentation. Don't use your fancy beads when you are just learning; save those for when you've mastered a technique. Any beads will be fine, but inexpensive glass beads will make pretty samples without breaking the bank. -
You might be a big fan of anything sterling silver or maybe you love solid gold, but don't waste your money by starting your wire wrap tutorials using these fancy metals. Just like you don't want to make practice pieces using your favorite beads, you don't want to make practice wire wrap jewelry using expensive metals.
If sterling is your thing, begin with copper wire. If you have a specific project that you would like to make, buy the same gauge copper as recommended in the wire wrap tutorial. If you aren't sure, buy three spools of copper wire: 18 gauge, 20 gauge, and 24 gauge. 18 gauge is thick and best used for making rings or other sturdy wire wrap projects. 20 gauge is a nice general gauge to use in any practice piece. It's sturdy, but much easier to work with than an 18 gauge wire. 24 gauge is thinner and excellent to use to add decorate wrapping to a wire wrap jewelry piece. For instance, if you make a ring using 18 gauge, you can use 24 gauge wire to wrap the shank of the ring for sizing and for covering the exposed 18 gauge wire ends.
If you know you will be working with gold wire, start your practice pieces with brass, which is stiffer and harder to work than copper, but more similar in working with gold.
Make each practice piece in an inexpensive wire three times before attempting it with the higher end metal. Buy your practice wire at a hardware store by the spool or at an art supply store. You should buy at least 50 to 100 feet of your choice of wire to start. Silver and gold are sold by the inch, so you will need to know exactly how much to purchase before you shop. -
A quick internet search will reveal potentially thousands of wire wrap tutorials online, but in order to narrow down your choices, you can start with a few great websites that offer a collection of wire wrap tutorials. This way, you can move through the tutorials one-by-one on the same site instead of switching around and having to learn new abbreviations and codes for a new wire wrap tutorial.
Jewelry Lessons offers several hundred wire wrap tutorials ranging from projects for the very beginner to the seasoned professionals. Some of the wire wrap tutorials are free, but many charge a fee between $2 and $10 for a tutorial. The wire wrap tutorials offer high quality images as well as a comments section so you can learn what other users have to say about the tutorial before you buy. You will need to register for a free account to use this website.
Glitter Glow Beading offers links to about 25 different websites that offer free wire wrap tutorial. This is a great option if you have a specific project in mind and are trying to find just the right technique. Since each link leads to a different website, the quality of the tutorials may vary, but most feature high-quality photographs and detailed instructions.
