Do you know what the one basic wire working technique is, that is so useful when making jewelry that it is well worth taking the time to learn and practice? It is known as the wrapped loop.
If you do not know how to solder silver and gold, this is the most secure way to attach one design element to another. It will also let you make a pendant out of any bead, make your own chain and produce wonderful earrings that will not come apart.
To begin, you will need:
chain nose pliers
round nose pliers
cutters
20 or 22 gauge wire or 3” headpins (the wire should be half hard)
an assortment of beads
Chain nose pliers (CNP) are like needle nose pliers without the grooves on the inside of the jaws. This allows you to grip the wire without marring it. Round nose pliers (RNP) have two smooth, conical jaws that get larger toward the joint. The cutters should be semi-flush. Box joints are better than joints like you would find on a pair of scissors.
I rarely use headpins. I prefer wire because it is less wasteful, but if you do not like the look of the handmade headpin, then by all means, use commercially made headpins. It is best to practice with 3” headpins because it gives you more to work with. So, let’s begin.
If you are using wire instead of headpins, cut a piece that is about 10” long. Any longer and it gets a little difficult to manage. Straighten the wire. To make the headpin, grab the wire at one end with the very tips of the chain nose pliers. Bend the wire back on itself, but not all the way. Pinch the end closed the rest of the way with the CNP. If the hole in your bead is large, make a larger crimp. You do not really want the “head” to be pulled up inside of the bead.
Insert the wire or the headpin into the bead keeping in mind whether or not there is a top and bottom to the bead. You will need to leave a space between the bottom of the loop you are about to make and the top of the bead for the wraps.
Depending on how many wraps around the wire you want to make, either grasp the wire by the tips of the round nose pliers or further toward the jaws. This is mostly a matter of experience and much depends on the gauge of wire that you are using. Then make a right angle bend in the wire or headpin.
Next, decide how big you want your finished loop to be. For a very small loop use the tips of the round nose pliers. For a larger loop, use a part of the RNP that is closer to the joint.
Grasp the wire with the RNP so that one of the jaws is on top.
Hold the round nose pliers so that the end of the wire is pointing away from you. Using the other hand put your fingers close to the RNP and push the wire toward you over the jaw that is on top. Then pull the wire the rest of the way around until the bottom jaw stops you.
Slightly loosen your grip on the wire with the round nose pliers so that you can rotate the bottom jaw out of the way without losing your place along the length of the jaw. Finish taking the wire all the way around the jaw. You may have to pull the wire slightly to the side to pass the bead.
Remove the loop from the pliers and inspect it for symmetry. Everything should be at right angles to each other. Also, the loop should be centered on the shaft of the wire as is sticks up out of the bead.
If the loop is not centered, re-insert the round nose pliers jaw until it stops, grasp the loop with the pliers and roll your hand away from the excess wire until the loop is centered. Straighten the excess back to a right angle.
Next, using your chain nose pliers, grasp the loop with the excess wire pointing up.
Hold the loop firmly, and with the other hand, work the excess wire away from you and around the short wire between the loop and the top of the bead. Work slowly and steadily so that you get the wraps right next to each other. Speed can be your enemy here.
When your last wrap touches the top of the bead, stop. Use your cutters to cut the remainder of the excess wire off as closely as you can.
A word about cutters. The side of the semi-flush cutter that is smooth and flat will make a cut with the smallest point. The side (pictured at the beginning of the article) that is angled will produce the largest point on the end of the wire. So it is best to have the flat side of the cutters facing the wire that will remain with the angled side toward the “waste” wire.
Use your chain nose pliers to gently squeeze the very end of the wire into its final position. Run your finger over it to be certain that it will not poke or scratch the wearer.
Voila! You have made your first wrapped loop. You are well on your way to making beautiful jewelry. Last thing to remember is practice, practice, practice. Do not expect to do it perfectly the first time or even the seventh. But do keep at it. As I said in the beginning, this is the single most valuable wire wrapping technique that you can learn.
Dianne Lehmann is a jewelry designer who has been in business since January of 2000. Her interest in designing and manufacturing jewelry goes back beyond that to 1994. It took her many years of trying various creative outlets to finally figure out that making jewelry is where she could really shine. Dianne began with simply stringing beads onto cable and has progressed from there. She is now an accomplished lapidary (cuts and polishes stones) and silversmith. Dianne and her husband, Bernd, live in northern Arizona and both love to hike. Dianne can not help but pick up rocks (they are her first love) and some of these find their way into her jewelry. Dianne makes one-of-a-kind pieces that she hopes give people as much joy to view as she gets from the making of them. If you like, you may view her work at http://www.syzygyjewelry.com
» left by atulya from dubai (281 days 4 hours ago.)
dear friend, i am so happy to know about this, and the way you explained even the minute point about wire cutting i too had put a post in my blog yesterday giving picutre so this, and told so much about wire cutting, since it was really a big task to cut the extra wire. yesterday i went to the gold smith behind my office and took lessons! he had also explained the same way you had told, to cut your way, and squeeze it! i am so happy with your post. i had written in my language,but still i feel you can come to my blog and see the works, i am just a initial learner, and my teachingrs are from computer only! i also told my group that, initialy u feel so upset, it did not turn out better, but practice practicepractice, in a week u can do a perfect loop. there are even youtube sites which tells you to make loop. cheers atulya, from Dubai. . pls write to me if you have something new of your creations. Respond to this comment
» left by Dianne Lehmann(2,545) Dianne Lehmann (280 days 19 hours ago.)
Dear Atulya, Thank you and I am so happy that you found validation in my article. It's always good to know that you are on the right track. I am guessing from what you said that you have a jewelry making group. This is one of the best ways to learn to make jewelry. Each person will have something unique to bring to the group; a new way of doing this or that. There are, indeed, a lot of places on the web to learn how to make wrapped loops. I decided to add my article to the mix anyway. Happy Jewelry Making! Respond to this comment
» left by atulya from dubai (281 days 4 hours ago.)
i am so happy to read your psot Respond to this comment
» left by Anonymous from France (272 days 20 hours ago.)
That's exactly what I was looking for, thanks a lot.... Respond to this comment
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