Making Wire Jewelry
Making wire jewelry is easy it you get the right tools and supplies. With a little practice, you will be able to design charming jewelry in no time.
Making a simple eye loop with an head pin or a eye pin is a basic wire technique, the first you need to know.
With this technique, you can make beautiful handcrafted jewelry, and you will be able to make your own earwires !
Wire is a " metal cord "; It comes in different gauge, and finishes.
It is commonly used for : - beading ,
- wrapping ,
- "wire-sculpture" ( a stone is wrapped around a wire),
- crochet ,
- simple loop making.
This simple loop method is useful to create bead-chain patterns, bead charms or other fashion jewelry !
It can be done by using findings called head pins or eye pins.
A lot of jewelry are designed with those handy findings.
Head pin is a piece of wire finished by a head (like a nail ) , eye pin is a piece of wire finished by a loop (or eye).
They are easy to coordinate with other findings like clasps or chains for example .
I do like them a lot because they are easy to find, inexpensive in metal and you can really create nice handcrafted jewelery !
Head pins are useful to create bead charms or dangles.
Eye pin are used to connect two elements together.
Long necklaces like " sautoirs " are trendy now. They are easy to make with this eye loop technique.
Earrings with dangles (long or short) are also hot !
Simple Loop Technique
Supplies
- Head pin/Eye pin,
- Pliers(round nose and flat),
- Wire cutter,
- Beautiful bead ( polymer clay, resin, glass, gemstone...).
How-To
The wire is placed between the jaws of the round nose plier, ready for the twist !
- String a bead on a head or eye pin,
- Hold firmly your bead in one hand ( left for right handed ) and with the thumb of your other hand,bend the wire against the bead; cut it; leave 10 mm ;
- From the end of your round nose plier, measure 10 mm and mark a line in between the jaws of the plier with a permanent marker,
- Place the end of the wire ( bent and cut ) where you have marked the line in the plier,
- Pace your hand properly by twisting your right wrist from left to right,
- Grasp the round nose plier and twist from right to left :you are making a loop !
- Finished eye loop; the loop must be perfectly round. (picture 6)
Ok, now it 's your turn, pick up a crystal bead, a glass pearl any bead and try !
See how convenient it is to design with en eyepin: one loop is already made, you just need to focus on the other one !
Making wire jewelry is fun and simple !
Making Your Own Earwires
Supplies
- Eye pin
- Small bead
- Chain or flat nose plier
- Pen
- file
- wire cutter
Yes that's it!
How-To
- String a bead in the eye pin, pull it close to the eye loopYou can put any kind of bead ( glass, wood, crystal...) but not pearls because their holes are too small and you will not be able to string an eye pin
- Grasp the eye loop in your hand and using your thumb or a flat nose plier, bent the steam wire to make a right angle ( picture )
- Place a pen on the wire, close to the bead, perpendicular to the wire
- Turn the wire around the pen ( picture )
- Cut and file the end of the wire
This method is easy to follow, in no time you can make elegant earrings !
I love it, it is so rewarding and so relaxing !
Making wire jewelry using this method requires no particular talent ( except patience ), with your imagination you will create beautiful handcrafted jewellery !
Enjoy making wire jewelry!
Design Ideas
Handmade Necklaces
Handmade Bracelets
Handade Earrings
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