Jewelry making from copper wire. How to make wire wrapped pendant step by step. Wire wrap tutorial. Handmade jewelry Valeriy Vorobev.
Table of Contents
DIY wire jewelry.
To make beautiful and unique wire jewelry, all you need to do is to have patience, imagination, materials and tools for creativity. But what is the exact answer to the question: How to make wire wrapped pendant? Today I will tell you.
Every woman dreams to be unique. And handmade jewelry will help you in this because no one will have the same jewelry as you have, which will emphasize your charm and uniqueness.
Handmade wire jewelry has long occupied a high position among other jewelry techniques. In recent years, this technique of making jewelry has become very popular among craftsmen. And it happened for obvious reasons. The making of wire jewelry does not require expensive materials and does not require a lot of tools. It is enough to have a small set of hand tools, a little bit of wire and a stone to create unique jewelry.
The only thing you can’t buy is craftsmanship. It will take a lot of time to perfect your skills. Some people can do it quickly, some need more time. But I am sure that almost anyone can make jewelry out of wire and stones. It just takes a little patience. I will help you with that. Today you will learn how to make wire wrapped pendant.
Copper wire for jewelry.
Today we will make together an easy to make a pendant out of copper wire. Copper wire is probably the cheapest and most accessible material that exists. In addition, it is a very pliable material. Natural copper wire is easy to bend, easy to flatten with a hammer, copper has a relatively low melting point. Natural copper wire can be patinated and easily sanded and polished.
Two types of wire are needed to create jewelry of such style. The thick wire is used for the base and the thin wire is used to weave the thick wire (the base).
Generally, I use 1mm thick wire for the base and 0.4mm thin wire for the weaving. The second option is for smaller, miniature decorations: the 0.8 mm wire is for the base and 0.4 mm is for the weaving. You can place a thin weaving over a thicker one – it will look cool. And this is not the only secret I want to show you in my “How to make wire wrapped pendant” tutorial.
Of course, I use other combinations of wires, I use wires of different thicknesses. But I recommend, especially if you are a beginner, to stick to my recommendation and use the thickness of wire, which I mentioned above in the text.
Today we are going to make a pendant from soft copper wire with a thickness of 1 mm and 0,4 mm.
Tools for creating a wire pendant.
I keep telling you that you don’t need a lot of tools to create amazingly beautiful wire jewelry. And you still don’t believe me? Here is an example!
I made this jewelry when I went on vacation to the Black Sea. The hotel owner asked me to make a pendant for his wife and gave me a stone bead. So, this is where the knowledge of how to make wire wrapped pendant can come in handy.
The only tools I had were a pair of wire cutters… and that was it.
I bought the copper wire at the local electrical store, where they sell electrical wires. I also bought a felt tip for polishing (I polished the jewelry with an electric drill). I borrowed the drill from the innkeeper.
I bought the ammonia for patination at a drugstore. I bought a glass jar of pickles in a grocery store. I ate the pickles and used the jar to patinate the copper with ammonia. I quickly got to work and here’s the result.
I’m not asking you to save money on tools because a good tool in good hands is the biggest advantage when working with wire. I just want to tell you that the sooner you start working (without putting off work because of lack of tools), the better.
To begin with, buy a minimal set of hand tools in a store near you or an online store.
I recommend buying rubber tip pliers. This is an indispensable tool for wire weaving. If you want to know how to make wire wrapped pendant, bear with me and I’ll show you.
Wire weavings.
When I make my jewelry, I usually do not have any plan. I almost never draw a sketch of future jewelry. Usually, when I draw a sketch, I end up with a piece that doesn’t look good.
I take a stone as a base from which I want to make a jewelry piece. I decide about the attachment of the stone. If a stone or a bead has a hole – it will be easy to attach it to the jewelry. If a cabochon is without a hole, there is another way to attach it. And only after these preparations do I start thinking about the design.
Around the stone, I create patterns using different weavings. Different in the number of wires and in the pattern itself. All weavings consist of a basic wire and a thin wire which we use to weave around a thick one. Weavings can consist of one, two, three, four, five … main wires. All the turns of the thin wire should be placed tightly around the thick wire. All coils must be pressed against each other. This is not as easy as it may seem at first glance.
You can read about the different types of weaving in my free course.
Because I do not know how much wire I will need to make a weaving, I use long pieces of thick wire (base). I do it because I’m afraid to cut too much and it won’t be possible to add wire anymore. As a rule, I use only the wire I take at the beginning. Sometimes, when I do not have enough wire or add a thinner weaving, I can add extra weavings to the jewelry.
Of course, it is too early to talk about complicated prefabricated decorations that can consist of several parts. And it’s especially early to talk about those ornaments that use different kinds of techniques. What I am showing you now is where to start on your long journey of learning how to make your own unique jewelry.
Pendant made of wire. Step by step instructions.
Today let’s create an easy-to-make, but very pretty pendant from copper wire and natural stone beads.
We will need two pieces of copper wire thickness of 1 mm and a length of 20 – 30 cm. Any bead (10-12 mm) of stone or glass will do. Make sure the 1mm wire fits through the hole in the bead.
You should always have enough fine 0.4mm wire for several projects in stock.
Slip one piece of wire into the hole of the bead and bend the wire as shown in the photo. Bend the second piece in the middle around the bead.
Weave two wires in any weaving method. Carefully bend one of the weavings around a bead.
Bring the weavings together and continue weaving the four wires. Use the same thin wire.
You need to make a loop for the cord or a necklace. Bend the weaving around a round stick. I bent it around the brush.
To prevent the loop from unbending, sew it with a thin wire to the bottom weaving. Then we need to bend the remaining ends of the wire into spirals. Try twisting the first one to see what length of wire you need.
I like to patinate copper to create vintage jewelry. It looks so cool when it looks old and antique. I like vintage jewelry. I patinate copper items with ammonia or special solutions for patination and blackening. Then I polish the copper. Over time, the copper will continue to darken, so in order to prevent it from happening, copper can be covered with a special colorless varnish.
Add a leather cord or copper necklace to the jewelry. The pendant is ready.
Do you love making wire jewelry as much as I do? I’ve been making jewelry from wire for nearly 15 years, and I didn’t want to keep this knowledge to myself, so I write wire jewelry tutorials sharing what I’ve learned.
You can find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter. You can find my textbooks on such Internet shops as Etsy and Amazon.
Also, check out Wire wrapping pendant tutorials:
Wire wrapped tutorials PDF Valeriy Vorobev
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