Wirewrapping is one of the basic techniques needed for making many types of jewelry. In this tutorial, I’m going to show how to wirewrap a simple drop for use as a pendant in a necklace or in earrings. Although in many cases it is easier to use the Plain Loop Technique to make a drop many times I feel that it isn’t quite as secure as wirewrapping it.
For this wirewrapping example I’m going to use a side drilled piece of cherry quartz, in other words a drop that has a hole drilled straight through the middle of it. Wrapping a drop such as a briolette that is drilled near the top of the stone calls for a slightly different method, which I hope I’ll go through in a future tutorial.
Supplies:
2 inch headpin
1 Precious Stone or Bead drop
Round Nose (Rosary Pliers)
2 Chain Nose Pliers
Sharp Nose Cutting Pliers
You will need 2 chain nose pliers for the wirewrapping. Make sure they are the type that have smooth tips instead of grooves, otherwise you’ll mark up the headpin.
I tend to like to use a fairly long headpin for wrapping drops. You might not need the extra length but better to be safe than sorry… it is a bit difficult to estimate the amount of wire you will need. It depends on the size of the briolette as well.
Oh, I almost forgot… you want to take all necessary safety precautions when working with wire in this way. A pair of safety goggles is a good start. When you clip wire, especially the half-hard type, the end can go flying through the air in seemingly random directions. Also, a good idea is to spread out some sort of dropcloth or paper on the floor of your workspace to catch errant pieces of metal. You don’t want to step on it later!
