Wire-Wrapped Jewelry for Beginners E-Book

Lora S. Irish

• Herausgeber: Fox Chapel Publishing
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Seitenzahl: 85

Beschreibung

Wire wrapping is a quick and easy technique that will take your jewelry making to the next level. A little wire, a few simple tools, and some brightly colored beads are all you need to start creating your own intriguing fashion statements. By adding new wires to basic links, you can alter simple links into complex and fascinating focal designs. Wire-Wrapped Jewelry for Beginners teaches 30 expert wire wrapping methods, such as forming bent-wire links, working a wrapping pattern, wrapping sequential layers, embellishing decorative loops, adding coil elements, and much more. This complete beginner's guide to wire wrapped jewelry includes 8 easy step-by-step projects for making stunning necklaces, pendants, brooches, hair pins, and earrings.

Leseprobe

Acknowledgements

I wish to extend my deepest thanks to Shelley Carr, Christa Oestreich, and Wendy Reynolds for their work in putting this book together. As an author it is a wonderful experience to be working with such a well-skilled team.

© 2022, 2023 by Lora S. Irish and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

Wire-Wrapped Jewelry for Beginners (ISBN 978-1-4971-0313-9) contains content first published in 2018 byFox Chapel Publishing Company in the book Wire-Wrapped Jewelry Techniques.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holders.

Print ISBN: 978-1-4971-0313-9ISBN: 978-1-63741-152-0

Freepik images used on cover: rawpixel.com (marble background), freepik (pearl beads).

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022941873

To learn more about the other great books from Fox Chapel Publishing, or to find a retailer near you, call toll-free 800-457-9112 or visit us at www.FoxChapelPublishing.com.

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Introduction

Bent-wire jewelry links are all the rage in today’s necklace and bracelet designs. A little wire, a few simple tools, and some brightly colored beads are all you need to start creating your own fashion statements. By adding new wires to basic links with a technique called wire wrapping, you can alter simple links into complex, intriguing, and fascinating focal designs. Wire wrapping is a quick and easy technique to master that will take your jewelry craft to the next level.

Throughout this book, some experience in jewelry craft and basic bent-wire link skills on the part of the reader are assumed. There are many excellent books and Internet tutorials available to beginning jewelry crafters that will give a new hobbyist a strong foundation in the basic skills.

In this book, you’ll learn how to:

• Add texture using tightly packed wire-wrapped coils

• Add a grunge look using random, loosely packed twists and turns

• Add bead clusters anywhere on a bent-wire link

• Secure free-floating arms or anchor open hoops in a bent-wire link

• Experiment with wire-wrapped coils and beaded wires

• Create woven patterns, working a wrapping wire through several arms of a bent-wire link

• Create connecting loops on bent-wire links to add side chains

• And more!

What Is a Bent-Wire Link?

Quite simply, a bent-wire link, or simply a link, is a kind of jewelry-making “unit” that is made by manipulating wire into a specific shape or design. A link can be simple or complex, large or small. The idea of this book is to learn how to create links that you then decorate with wire wrapping and incorporate as elements of finished jewelry. The bent-wire link itself is the basic unit before any wrapping is added.

Contents

Chapter 1: Materials

Wire

Tools

Beads

Chapter 2: Getting Started

Wire-Wrapping Terms and Structure

Varying Visual Effects with One Bent-Wire Link

Basic Bent-Wire Shapes

Technique 1: Forming Bent-Wire Links

Wrapping Basics

Chapter 3: Techniques

General Wrapping

Technique 2: Tightly Packed Wrapping

Technique 3: Loosely Packed Wrapping

Technique 4: Cluster Wrap

Technique 5: Random Loose Wrap

Working with Beads

Technique 6: Random Loose Beaded Wrap

Technique 7: Wire-Wrapped Caged Beads

Technique 8: Wire-Wrapped Bead Dangles

Technique 9: Adding Beads to Wrapping Wire

Technique 10: Wire-Wrapped Bead Clusters

Technique 11: Wrapping with a Beaded Wire

Wrapping Patterns

Technique 12: Working a Wrapping Pattern

Technique 13: Wrapping Patterns with Multiple Arms

Technique 14: Adding Beads to a Wrapping Pattern

Technique 15: Woven Wrapping Patterns

Technique 16: Wrapping with a Coil

Adding Elements

Technique 17: Adding a Coil Element

Technique 18: Adding Half-Circle Coil Elements

Technique 19: Adding a Bent Loop

Technique 20: Adding Multiple Bent Loops

Technique 21: Adding a Beaded Wire

Technique 22: Adding a Looped Wire

Technique 23: Embellishing Decorative Loops

Securing and Adding Arms

Technique 24: Securing Free-Floating Arms

Technique 25: Adding a Bending Wire

Technique 26: Adding Multiple Bending Wires

Technique 27: Separately Securing Wire Arm Ends

Special Techniques

Technique 28: Wrapping Sequential Layers

Technique 29: Hiding Securing Wires with Beads

Technique 30: Filling a Space

Chapter 4: Projects

Sunset Pendant

Snail Trail Necklace

Technique Quick Reference

About the Author

Snail Trail Necklace

Sunset Pendant

Technique 20

Chapter 1

Materials

Wire, of course, is the main material needed for any wire-wrapped jewelry project. For the projects and samples in this book, I have used copper wire as the main link wire. A few essential tools are needed to create bent-wire links and to add wire-wrapped accents. A basic toolkit will include wire cutters, straight pliers, round-nose pliers, nylon-grip pliers, and some kind of file; there are also a lot of additional specialty tools that can come in handy. In addition, a variety of beads can add colorful accents to wire-wrapped jewelry. With this collection of basic items, you will be able to make amazing creations. Read on for all the nitty-gritty details about wire, tools, and beads.

Wire

Jewelry wire comes in a variety of metals and coated metals, such as gold-filled, gold-plated, sterling silver, silver-plated, brass, colored copper, copper, and color-coated aluminum.

Wire is measured by gauge, where the higher the gauge, the thinner the diameter of the wire. For making links, use thick gauges from 12 (very thick) to 18 (less thick). Wrapping wires are normally worked using thinner gauges, from 20 (thin) to 24 (very thin).

Copper wire is a favorite for modern bent-link jewelry and wire-wrapped jewelry. Available in round, half-round, and square, it is easy to bend and form into almost any shape. It’s also great for the beginner and intermediate jewelry crafter because it is inexpensive and available in a wide range of color coatings. Throughout this book, we will be using copper wire; however, any technique taught in this book can be worked with any metal wire.

WIRE GAUGE

Wire thickness is measured in gauge, with smaller numbers denoting thicker wire. In this image, copper wires of four different gauges were wrapped around a 11/4" (3cm)–wide medicine bottle to create identically-sized hoop links. From top to bottom, the gauges used are 14, 16, 18, and 20. All four hoop links are wrapped using 28-gauge wire.

While any link can be created from wire of any gauge, in general, for the projects in this book, 14-, 16-, and 18-gauge wire is used as the main link wire, as these gauges create thick, strong forms. 20-, 24-, and 32-gauge wire is used throughout the projects for the wire-wrapping steps, as thinner wire is more flexible when woven through the bends of the links.

Most jewelry wire is packaged and sold with a US gauge size and a UK millimeter size, but just in case you’re in the UK and don’t have the US gauge, here is a quick reference chart of US gauge and its equivalent millimeter size.

Gauge

Millimeters

12

2mm

14

1.6mm

16

1.3mm

18

1mm

20

0.8mm

22

0.6mm

24

0.5mm

26

0.4mm

28

0.3mm

30

0.25mm

32

0.2mm

The woven necklace pendant shown here at right is worked using 18-gauge wire for the main bent-wire link and the added bending wires. 22-gauge wire is used to wrap the link as well as to create the bead dangles. The spiral necklace shown here at right is created using extra-thick 12-gauge wire. The wire wrapping is worked in 18-gauge wire— the same gauge used to create the link of the woven necklace pendant.

RECOMMENDED TYPES OF WIRE

While you can, of course, buy wire through jewelry supply stores and craft stores, copper, brass, aluminum, and stainless steel wire are also commonly available at your local hardware store or from online hardware suppliers. You can also purchase large quantities of wire (in 1-pound spools) online through marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay. All four of these types of wire make wonderful jewelry while remaining inexpensive enough that you can freely practice, experiment, and play before moving on to work with more expensive wire like silver or gold wire.

Copper

Copper wire is considered a soft wire and can easily be bent using just the pressure of your fingers. After the link is created, it can be tempered by lightly tapping the link for about one minute with a no-mar hammer. This example uses 18-gauge copper wire for the link with 24-gauge copper wrapping wire.

Brass

Brass wire is very hard and needs even, strong pressure to create smooth bends. Brass does not tarnish and retains its bright yellow tone for years. Try using 18- and 24-gauge brass wire, as shown in this example.

Aluminum

Aluminum wire is available in a range of hardnesses, from very soft craft wire to harder hardware wire. This example uses exclusively 20-gauge aluminum wire.

Stainless steel

Stainless steel wire is a hard wire that can be bent using jewelry tools and a little extra pressure. The metal does not tarnish over time, retaining its bright appearance. The example shown here uses 18-gauge stainless steel wire for the link with 24-gauge copper wrapping wire.

Tools

WIRE CUTTERS

Several kinds of wire cutters can serve different purposes. If you only have a budget for one wire cutter, make it a flush cutter.

The inner face of a flush cutter is V-shaped to create a sharp cutting edge. The outer face is flush, which leaves a flat, smooth cut on the end of the wire. Plus, the fine tips of a flush cutter allow you to reach into tight spaces. These cutters leave the cleanest, flattest end cut to a wire.

The outer face of an end cutter is curved so that only the cutting edge touches the wire. This tool allows you to clip the wrapped loops parallel to the main wire.

Side cutters are heavy-duty cutting tools, able to handle thick-gauge wire, like 16-gauge and thicker, easily.

The flat, outer side of a pair of flush cutters is placed against the jewelry piece, with the V-shaped inner cutting edge facing away from the finished project.