"it's a wrap"

[dcgenard]

Hello out there.  This is my first time at this forum and I wanted to ask if anyone could tell me how the stone in the "It's A Wrap" necklace was wrapped.  Thanks for your help.

[marym]

Very creatively...

Wire wrapping has been a love of mine for a long time- however- I've never used (or written) formal instructions.  I measure the wire by feel (making sure to cut more rather than less), and kind of "let it go where it will". Because I'm never sure which direction the form is going to take, I can cover mistakes and often end up with something quite unique. I can give you a bit of a guide on how this one ended up- but the rest will be up to your own taste and ability.  

I started by taking three LONG pieces of square Argentium wire- (close to two feet most likely). After straitening the wire, I used a bit of masking tape on both ends to hold all three pieces perfectly aligned and together.  Leaving about 1.5" of open space in the middle section of the wire, I then used a smaller gauge round wire to form two wraps on either side of the open 1.5". This section is very important to wire wrapping as it holds all of your wire together and creates the bottom portion of the wire bezel that your stone will sit in.  

I then formed the wire around the stone, placing the center downward portion of the stone in the open 1.5” section of wire. Using round-nose pliers, I created a “Grip” bend in the center of the front wire.  This is accomplished by grasping the wire between the tips of your pliers, holding them perpendicular to the stone, and then twisting once to the right. I’m unsure of what this technique is called- but I’ve always called it the grip bend. You may do the same to the back wire as well.

Once you have the bottom portion of the bezel established, and you believe the stone will hold firmly where it’s placed, you can move your tape to cover the bottom half of your piece and start working on securing the bail area. I took the front wire portions, crisscrossed them over the stone, and secured them with a small loop over the back wire (snipping the excess wire). The back wire was bent inward slightly to accommodate this. I then brought the two pieces of back wire up and over my round nose pliers to create the bail loops. Don’t cut the excess wire.  Using the middle wire- I started to wrap around the base of my loop- from both directions.  Doing this and making it look pretty can be a little on the tough side.  Hopefully you’ve practiced wire wrapping with inexpensive wire first!! Once you’ve secured your bail loops with a few solid wraps, snip the excess.  You should be left with two pieces of square wire remaining from the back wire.  Using chain-nose or flat nose pliers, I gently started twisting the wire. Square wire twists into a nice texture, but do practice a bit first so you can get a feel for doing this in a consistent manner. Once I was happy with my twisted wires, I formed them just around the entire piece, and tucked them into my gemstone hole.  

And you’re done!  I sincerely hope these instructions make some sort of sense and you’re able to accomplish this wrap.  One thing to note; no two wraps end up looking EXACTLY alike.  Play with your wire, practice and let your mistakes help build the piece.

Good luck and welcome to our board!!  Let us know if you need anything else.                

-Mary
R&T staff

[dcgenard]

Mary,
Thank you so much for your detailed reply!  I will practice with some copper wire first before I dive into the more expensive wire.  I will let you know how it turns out.  Thanks again.
Deborah

[marym]

Great- glad I could help.

Remember that copper wire is softer than sterling, so be prepared for the difference in hardness once you move up to using the "good" stuff. A half-hard 22 gauge wire is a good wire to start with.

Good luck and have fun '>

-Mary