Wire-wrapping beads together is a wonderful way to mix beads of different shapes and sizes. This technique creates an elegant chain made out of beads of your chain, & makes long necklaces more lightweight.
Cut a four inch section of 22 gauge wire. Holding your round nose plier in your non-dominant hand, hold the segment of wire about an inch down from the top in your dominant hand. Take the longer piece of wire and wrap around the plier away from you and back toward you. Take the wire off the round nose plier, now you should have a loop that looks like a small "p." Hold this loop from the side with the round nose pliers. Twist the short piece of wire downward around the long piece of wire, in a clockwise direction, making sure to make a neat coil. Once you have 2-3 wraps, you can cut the wire tail, with your wire cutters.
String on your bead, or series of beads. Grasp the round nose plier, with your non-dominant hand. Using your dominant hand, bend the wire away from you and back towards you under the plier.
for a step-by-step wire-wrapping tutorial, click here.
Take the loop off of the plier and loop the next segment of wire through your previous piece. Twist the wire tail around the base of the headpin in a clockwise motion. Be sure to keep the wire in a neat coil as opposed to a twist. Cut the remaining wire tail with your wire cutter.
Repeat these steps until you have your desired length. Ours is 32" long, so we decided not to add a clasp since it is long enough to go over your head! If your desired look is a shorter necklace, keep in mind the additional length adding a clasp and jump ring may add.
What Do I Need To Make My Own Labradorite + StickPearl Necklace?
- one strand of 8mm Faceted Black Labradorite Rondelles
- one strand of 18mm Biwa Stick Freshwater Pearls
- one spool of 22g Silver Wire
- one pair of Round-Nose Pliers
- one pair of Designer Wire Cutters
For an in-depth look at wire wrapping, check out the full length tutorial below:
