Thursday, November 20, 2014

Make Wire Sculpture Jewelry

Bracelets can be easily formed from gold, brass, sterling silver or copper wires.


Creating wire sculpture jewelry is a popular hobby that can even turn into a business. This craft can be dated back to the age of the Ancient Phoenicians, around 1,250 B.C. Wire jewelry gained modern notoriety in the early 1900s via sculpted cameo pieces. Today, bracelets and earrings can be easily formed from gold, brass, sterling silver or copper wires.


Instructions


Earrings


1. Hold the headpin and string the beads on in the desired pattern. Only string the beads up to half of the headpin's length.


2. Secure the beads by closing off the headpin. Using the pliers, grab the end of the wire and create a small loop to secure the beads; they should not be able to move at this point. Twist the extra wire around the loop to support the base.


3. Trim the excess wire using the wire cutter. Use the pliers to re-shape the loop into a perfectly rounded figure.


4. Attach the headpin to the ear wire through the small space remaining in the wire loop. Close the ear wire completely using a pair of tweezers.


Bracelets


5. Select a round memory wire that will allow you to have at least two loops around your wrist. When measuring, allow for 3 extra inches.


6. Make a loop at one end of the round wire using the pliers. Squeeze the pliers around the loop to secure.


7. Create a bead pattern on your bead board. Once you have finalized your pattern, string the beads along the wire. Leave a couple inches of extra wire at the end.


8. Close off the wire using the pliers using the same method as in Step 1. Twist the wire around the loop to secure the closure.


9. Clip off any excess wire using your wire cutter to finalize the piece.