Simple Wire Wrapped Pendant

Make a simple wire wrapped pendant with Let It Bead in Portland, Oregon

Posted by Shop Showcase

About

This tutorial shows you step-by-step how to make a
wire "basket" to go around stones, sea glass or shells and make them
wearable. I've wrapped four different specimens here so you can see a
sample of the possibilities!

Share

You Will Need (7 things)

  • Supplies

  • 2 ft Of 24 gauge Wire (I used copper because it’s soft and easy to work with)
  • Stones, Sea Glass or shells with no holes
  • Chain or Cord
  • Round Nose Pliers
  • Flat Nose Pliers
  • Wire Cutters

Steps (8 steps, 15 minutes)

  1. 1

    Cut your wire into two equal lengths. Hold them side by side and
    pinch them with one hand towards the center while using the other hand to twist the wires together about 12 times. (You may need to adjust the
    amount of twists depending on the size of your specimen.)

  2. 2

    Shape the twisted part of the wire to the bottom of your specimen.
    Holding it there, bring one wire from each side to the front and twist
    them together twice. Repeat for the back.

  3. 3

    Bringing one wire from the front and back, on each side, twist
    them together twice.

  4. 4

    Bringing one wire from each side back to the center, on both the
    front and back, twist together towards the top until the two twists meet, pulling the wires back together on each set.

  5. 5

    Twist the two pairs of wires together until that twist measures
    about �”. You may want to alter that measurement depending on how big you want your bail to be.

  6. 6

    Using your round nose pliers, shape the twist into a loop. This
    will be your bail.

  7. 7

    Holding the bail with your flat nose pliers, use your fingers to
    wrap the wire ends around the cross section below the bail. Use your wire cutters to clip off the excess wire at the back of the pendant and then tuck in any sharp ends with your flat nose pliers.

  8. 8

    Using your round nose pliers, kink any or all of the straight
    sections of wire on your piece to tighten up the wrap and to also add a decorative touch. Don’t be too rough when doing this because you can weaken the wire. Hang it from a chain or cord and it’s ready to wear:)