How to Make Sterling Silver Wire Jewelry
- 1). String a tiny 2 mm silver bead onto a sterling silver headpin to begin a basic piece of sterling silver wire jewelry. Learn wire-wrapping technique by starting off with pre-made headpins.
- 2). Add a silver daisy bead, followed by the main focal bead of the piece, whether a pearl, crystal, glass-blown bead, or other semi-precious gem. String a daisy bead and 2 mm silver bead to finish the beading.
- 3). Grasp the wire above the top bead with your round-nose pliers. With the wire about 1/2 inch from the tip of the pliers, bend the wire over the bottom side of the pliers at a right angle.
- 4). Readjust the pliers so one side of the jaws is above the bend and the other below. Slide the wire so it is 1/8 inch from their tip and bend it over the top of the pliers. Move the round-nose pliers to your non-dominant hand and adjust the wire so the bottom part is up against the inside elbow of the bend and the other jaw or nose is on top of the wire.
- 5). Pick up the flat-nose pliers in your other hand. While holding the round-nose pliers in place, grab the end of the wire with the flat-nose pliers and pull it around the bottom nose of the round-nose pliers to form a loop. Tightly wrap the remaining wire around the wire below the loop. If you wrap correctly, the wraps will wrap in two or three tight rounds (much like the top layers of a hangman's noose) that meet the very top of the topmost bead.
- 6). Trim excess wire with wire cutting pliers close to the wrap. Make sure all your wire wraps are even and side-by-side in appearance--a good wire wrapped piece is topped by wraps that look like parallel lines. There should be no overlapping, crossed, or visibly bent wires. Squeeze the wrap carefully with your pliers so that the wire is hardened and secure
- 7). Repeat the process to create a second beaded sterling silver wire loop element. Finish your pieces using your file or even a piece of sandpaper so there are no sharp edges on any pieces or components.
- 8). Slip each beaded loop onto an earring wire to complete your silver wire jewelry piece. This basic approach is the foundation for almost all wire-wrapped projects. By creating wrapped loops at each end, you can create links of sterling silver wire for bracelets, necklaces or more complex earrings.
- 9). Practice your wire-wrapping technique with half-hard sterling silver wire until your wraps are tight and clean and you're at ease with the basic tools. Use smaller gauge wires (the higher the number, the smaller the wire) and headpins for items like pearls, which traditionally have very small, fine holes for stringing.
