Wrapped Beads & Pendants: Step by Step Guide

This tutorial shows you how to make wire wrapped beads & pendants. These are simple, adding intricate detail to jewellery. You do however need patience to produce neat and consistent results, this will come with practice. Wrap them as a pendant or wrap to chain to other beads. Materials:

• Wire
• Beads or Pendant

Tools:

• Wire Cutter
• Round Nose Pliers
• Flat-Nose Pliers

Wrapped Loop & Wire Wrapped Beads & Pendants

Wrapped Loop:

Step 1. Make one wrapped loop. Wire wrapped loops is a secure way to connect beads and findings.

• Hold the wire and with your thumb, bend the end 3 to a 90 degree angle. Cut the end of the wire if it is too long for your loop.

• Using round nose pliers hold the wire and turn the pliers half a turn to begin a loop.

• Now finish the loop with another half turn.With flat pliers you can straighten the loop, if needed.

Wire Wrapped Bead

STEP 2. Slip on your bead and make another wrapped loop on the other end of the bead. Just as before, wrap the wire around itself. However, don’t cut the wire. STEP 3. Use the left over wire and bring it down around the bead. STEP 4. Wrap the wire back around the wire at the bottom of the bead. STEP 5. Trip off excess wire, and file the ends of the wire as necessary.

Wire Wrapped Pendant

Step 1: See Wrapped Loop (above) Step 2: Cut a length of wire approximately 10cm long. Slip your pendant onto the wire, leaving approximately 2cm at one end (the other end will be longer). Step 3: Pinch both ends of the wire together at the top of the pendant, and check that the pendant is centred. Cut the end of the short wire about 5mm above the pendant. Step 4: Hold the longer end of the wire with the round nose pliers bend it to a right angle and then wrap the end up and over the tip of the pliers to form a loop. Make sure the loop is centered above the top of the pendant. Step 5: Use the flat nose pliers and hold the loop flat between the tips, take the length of wire between your fingers and hold it, wrap around the stem of wires starting at the base of the loop and working downwards towards the pendant. Make sure that each wrap sits neatly and close to the last. Step 6: When you reach four or five turns around the wire gently tuck it in the end and pull through neatly this will prevent it coming undone. Trim the end neatly with the cutters.