Copyright 2008

2

Contents:

1. Introduction.3

2. Safety...4

3. Wire working tools..4

4. Wire information..8

6. Tutorial 1: Egyptian coil necklace10

7. Tutorial 2: Wire fan necklace.17

8. Tutorial 3: Spiral pearl elegance..24

9. Tutorial 4: Conical briolette wrap necklace 34

10. Tutorial 5: Red coral S-link necklace.41

11. How to oxidize jewelry..52

12. About the author53

12. Disclaimer...54

13. Contact info55

3

Introduction

Making wire jewelry is one of the most creative and rewarding forms of jewelry making.

This timeless craft has been evolving and adapting to suit fashions since pre-Roman times.

Beading and jewelry making are some of the fastest growing hobby pursuits in the world

and the essential wire techniques you will learn, will take your beading and jewelry making

to a new level.

Each tutorial lists the equipment, wire sizes and wire lengths that you will need. You will

have to practice most of the techniques first before making your final piece, therefore its

always a good idea to buy more wire than the length the tutorial requires. You will find

valuable wire information below that will help you to make a decision of what type of wire

to use.

This e-book was born out of the many requests for more beginner and intermediate wire

techniques and tutorials that I have received from the visitors to my free jewelry making

website http://www.how-to-make-beaded-jewelry.com .

I hope you are excited and ready to start!

Marlize Kasselman

Basic wire techniques

I will refer to some wire and jewelry making techniques on my website, in some of the

projects. If you are already familiar with the most basic techniques, then you dont have

to follow the links to my site. If you are a complete beginner, then it would be useful to

go through the wire and jewelry making technique links listed in the projects. It is of

great importance that you dont miss out on a step. If you would like to have a quick

look at the basic techniques then click on the following links:

http://www.how-to-make-beaded-jewelry.com/wire-wrapping-techniques.html

http://www.how-to-make-beaded-jewelry.com/jewelry-making-techniques.html

4

Safety

It can be dangerous working with wire if you dont take precautions.

Always wear your safety glasses when working with wire, especially if you are cutting

and hammering wire.

Look after your fingers and fingertips. The edge of cut wire can be as sharp as a

needle. Be cautious when hammering, you dont want to walk for weeks with a nail

that turned blue.

Store all tools, wire, equipment and materials out of reach of children.

Clean up after every work session, especially those flying bits and pieces of wire.

Use good lighting to prevent eyestrain.

Wire working tools

Round nose pliers: These pliers have conical prongs that taper down to the tip. They are for shaping and making loops in wire. This might be the tool that you will use most of all when working with wire. Just note that mini pliers will not be suitable for the projects in this book.

Chain nose pliers: These pliers have a flat surface that narrows down to the tip. The narrow tip helps you get into small spaces. You will use these pliers for everything else, from holding and opening jump rings to shaping wire.

5

Flat nose pliers: These pliers have a flat surface with an even width. They are great for holding pieces, making spirals, and for opening and closing jump rings.

Wire cutters: They are used for cutting wire sizes up to 15 gauge with ease. There are many types of wire cutters available today which makes it hard to choose one. The best wire cutters for wire projects are flush cutters with one diagonal side and a straight side.

Steel bench block (flat plate): A bench block is a small steel block which supports your wire while forging (hammering) it. You dont need a big block. A 2 x 2 block will be more than sufficient for the projects in this book.

Chasing hammer: This hammer has a round, flat face for flattening wire without leaving marks on the surface of the wire. You can also use a flat-faced hammer if you have one at home.

6

Needle file/s: They are used for filing rough edges on wire, and smoothing out scratch marks made on the wire. Make sure you buy jewelry making files, and not hardware store files. The needle files I use are Swiss Vallorbe files as shown in the photo. You only need one file with a flat side, so its not necessary to buy a whole set. Most jewelry files need to be attached to a handle for ease of use.

Silver polishing cloth: This anti-tarnish cloth is used to polish and wipe away any signs of tarnish.

Steel ruler: This is great for getting your measurements precise. You will use this in every project youll be working on.

Measuring tape: A tape measure is essential for measuring longer pieces of wire as well as necklace lengths.

7

Wire jig: Another way of working with wire is using a jig. Jigs are aluminium or transparent boards with little holes for pins. Jigs are used for making patterns and repeatable shapes to get uniformity in your design. You can arrange the pins in any pattern of your choice in order to create your own designs. You can make a variety of designs with a jig including earrings, necklaces, bracelets, clasps and many more. Wigjig is the most well known manufacturer. I use their Wigjig Delphi with the small pegs as well as the super pegs. They have a whole range of jigs available. Thing-a-ma-jig is another brand.

Safety glasses: This is essential to protect your eyes from flying bits of metal when cutting and hammering wire.

Steel wool: If you would like to oxidize* your jewelry pieces, then you will need size 0000 steel wool for some polishing.

*Create an aged look through chemical treatment.

8

Wire information

Wire will be the main material used for the projects. Most of the projects will require some practice before making the final piece. Buy yourself some inexpensive wire to practice the techniques, before creating the final piece. Many people use copper wire to practice with, but I prefer silver plated wire. My final pieces are usually made from sterling silver wire.

Wire hardness: Jewelry making wire comes in three hardness categories: dead soft, half-hard and full hard.

Dead soft wire is very flexible and you can manipulate the wire easily. It is mostly used for sculpting projects.

Half hard wire is a bit harder than dead soft. It is still easy and flexible enough to be bent by hand. Half hard wire holds the shape its formed in. Ive used half hard wire for all the projects in this book.

Full hard wire is extremely stiff and not flexible enough to be bent by hand.

Types of jewelry making wire: Copper: This is a great inexpensive practice wire. Plated wire: Gold or silver plated wire can wear off easily. This wire is great for practicing your techniques and an economical alternative to sterling silver wire. Coated colored wire: This wire has a layer of enamel color over the base metal. It is available in a range of colors. Galvanized: It has a dull silver color. This wire is available in hardware stores and it is an economical practice wire. Sterling Silver: It is 92.5% pure silver. Sterling silver wire is the most popular wire for wirework. It is easy to coil, texture, hammer and bend sterling wire in many ways. I prefer making my final jewelry pieces with sterling silver. It is durable, economical and looks fabulous in beaded jewelry. Fine silver: It is softer than sterling, but it is 99.9% pure silver. Gold-filled: This wire has a thin layer of karat-gold over brass, copper or silver wire. Gold-filled wire gives you the choice to work with gold in your design at a fraction of the cost. Gold: This is the real thing! Few people can afford to work with real gold wire.

9

Wire sizes:

Wire sizes are measured in gauge. Here is a conversion table of the wire sizes.

You dont need to buy all the different sizes. Ive used the following sizes for the projects in

this e-book: 26g, 22g, 20g, 18g, 17g and 15g.

You can buy wire at many online jewelry making stores. I purchased my wire from

www.wires.co.uk .

gauge sizes approx. diameter

26g 0,4mm

25g 0,45mm

24g 0,5mm

23g 0,55mm

22g 0,6mm

21g 0,7mm

20g 0,8mm

19g 0,9mm

18g 1,0mm

17g 1,2mm

16g 1,3mm

15g 1,5mm

14g 1,6mm

12g 2,0mm

10

Tutorial 1: Egyptian coil necklace

11

This is an ancient design that is still as fashionable today as it was thousands of years ago.

Ive added a beautiful lampwork focal bead purchased from

http://www.aspenhotglass.com to the chain. This design looks beautiful without a focal

bead too.

What you need:

18 gauge silver wire (5-6 meters long). The length will depend on the size of your

necklace. Ive used approx. 5 meters for a 16 necklace.

any 2 (5cm) focal bead of your choice , as well as bead caps or small beads which you

would like to add to the focal bead.

3 (7.5cm) headpin

10mm jump ring (18 gauge)

round nose pliers

flat nose pliers

wire cutters

measuring tape or steel ruler

safety glasses

Steps for making the chain:

1. Cut off a piece of wire 6 (16,5cm) long.

2. Grip one end of the wire with the tip of your round nose pliers.

3. Start making a loop by moving your pliers away from you. Release your pliers when

youve made a loop.

4. Grip the loop with your flat nose pliers and use your free hand to bend the wire

around the loop to make a spiral effect. Adjust your pliers as you go along.

12

1. Make another spiral on the other side of the wire. The length from both ends of the

spirals must measure 1 (3,8cm). Make sure your spirals are evenly matched.

2. Grip the centre of the wire with the thickest part of the conical prongs.

3. Use your free hand to bend one of the spirals downwards, followed by the other one.

4. Grip the link with your flat nose pliers as shown in the photo on the left.

5. Bend the looped part back over the

6. Do not bend it too closely against the back of the spirals, because you need to thread

one through the other and link them up to form a chain.

7. Your link will look like the one on the far right.

13

8. Link them up, with one loop going through the next one. If you only want to make a

single chain without attaching a focal bead, then you can continue this way until you

reach the desirable necklace size. You will find a description below of how to make

the clasp.

If you want to attach a focal bead, then you need to make two separate chains.

Steps for making and attaching the focal bead:

1. Slide your focal bead and bead caps onto the headpin in the desired order.

14

2. Grip the end of the headpin with your round nose pliers, and form a loop.

3. Coil the headpin around the pliers by moving and adjusting your pliers as you go

along.

4. Align the coiled loop centrally to the bead by bending it slightly.

5. Open the 10mm jump ring with your flat and round nose pliers.

6. Slide the loop of the focal bead onto the jump ring.

7. Slide the first link of the chains onto the jump ring, on either side of the focal bead

as shown in the photos below.

8. Close the jump ring. Your necklace will now look like the one in the photo below.

15

Steps for making the clasp:

1. Cut off 7 (19cm) piece of 18 gauge wire.

2. Make a spiral on both ends of the wire. Keep coiling both spirals until the piece is

2 (6,3mm) long.

3. Grip the centre of the wire with the tip of your round nose pliers. The spirals must face

upwards.

4. Bend both ends downwards with your free hand.

5. Use your flat nose pliers to press the top of the wire to make it thinner.

6. Grip the spirals with your flat nose pliers, and bend the tail of wire backwards so its

behind the spirals.

16

7. Grip the tail of the clasp 8mm from the tip, and bend it upwards. Remove your pliers

and press it down as shown in the photo below (right).

8. Attach the clasp to one end of the chain.

9. It will now look like this:

This Egyptian coil design looks stunning after some oxidization is done. The oxidization

gives the necklace more depth and definition.

Here is an example of the necklace before and after oxidization. Oxidize or not? It is a

personal preference. Some people prefer the plain shiny color of silver wire, while

others prefer the aged look of an oxidized piece of jewelry. See how to oxidize your

necklace on p. 52 of this e-book.

17

Tutorial 2: Wire fan necklace

Hammered pieces of wire create the fan-shaped look in this striking necklace.

18

What you need:

15 gauge (1,5mm) silver wire at least 20 (51cm) or longer.

20 gauge (0,8mm) silver wire at least 20 (51cm) or longer.

black leather cord 3mm thick

2 silver coil crimps (also called cord ends), big enough for the 3mm leather cord

1 silver lobster clasp

round nose pliers

chain nose pliers

flat nose pliers

wire cutters

wire jig with super pegs (Ive used the Wigjig Delphi with its super pegs for this

technique)

bench block

chasing hammer or a flat faced hammer

jewelry needle file (one with a flat surface)

measuring tape

safety glasses

Steps for making the pendant shape:

1. Cut off a 7 (17,8cm) piece of 15 gauge wire. Grip the end of the wire with the tip

of your round nose pliers.

2. Make a loop by moving your pliers away from you.

3. Grip the loop with your flat nose pliers.

4. Use your free hand to start bending the wire around the loop to form a spiral.

5. Make another spiral at the other end of the wire. The total length of the spiraled

wire must be 4 (11,5cm).

19

6. Place a 6mm super peg in the jig. Hold one of the spirals below the peg as shown

in the photo below (left).

7. Hold the spiral firmly with one hand and bend the tail of the wire around the peg

using your free hand.

8. Do the same for the other end of the spiral, but place your spiral to the opposite

direction below the peg. It will be a mirror-image of the other end.

9. Your wire will now look like the one in the photo below (left).

10. Use pegs with a diameter of 15mm. Place the wire below the peg, with the spirals

facing downwards.

11. Hold the wire firmly with one hand and bend one of the ends upwards.

12. Do the same for the other side.

13. Your pendant shape will then look like the one in the photo below (right).

20

Steps for making the fan-shapes:

1. Use your 15 gauge wire and cut it into 7 pieces, each piece measuring the

following:

convert to metric:

1 = 2,5cm 1 = 3,2cm 1 = 3,8cm 1 = 4,4cm

2. Grip one of the pieces with your round nose pliers and make half a loop (see

below).

3. Do this for all 7 pieces of wire.

21

4. Place a piece of wire on your bench block with the loop hanging down the edge of

the block.

5. Hold the loop firmly with one hand, and hammer the rest of the wire with even

strokes using your chasing hammer.

6. The wire will be flattened and widened by the strokes. The hammering will result

in the edges being a bit rough.

7. You will need to file the rough edge of the wire to leave a smooth curved edge.

Files usually cut in one direction. So it is important to file only in one direction,

using stroking movements. Hold the half-looped part of the wire in one hand, and

use your free hand to file the edge of the hammered part of the wire in one

direction only.

8. After filing, your piece of wire will look like the one in the photo below (right).

22

9. You will need to file the edges of all 7 pieces.

Steps for coiling the pendant and attaching the fan:

1. Use your 20 gauge wire, and wrap one end around the 15 gauge wire, next to

one of the spirals.

2. Grip the coiled wire with your chain nose pliers while making the first few coils.

3. You can cut off the excess tail when youve coiled about 10 times. Press the

scratchy end down with your chain nose pliers.

4. Continue the coiling process until you reach the other spiral. Cut off the excess

wire. Your pendant will now look like the one in the photo below (right).

23

5. Take the longest hammered piece of wire, and attach it to the bottom of the

pendant. Use your chain nose pliers and gently close the loop.

6. Attach all the pieces of wire according to size, long at the centre to short on

the sides.

7. String your leather cord through the loops of the pendant. Attach your coil

crimps to the leather cord, and add your clasp as well. There is a detailed

explanation for how to use coil crimps on the page http://www.how-to-make-

beaded-jewelry.com/coil-crimps.html .

8. Use your polishing cloth to remove any unwanted fingerprints on the pendant.

You can also oxidize your pendant to give it more depth. You will find step-by-

step instructions how to oxidize your jewelry on p.52 of this book.

24

Tutorial 3: Spiral pearl elegance

25

What you need:

30 to 40 small white pearls (2-3mm in size)

43 or more white pearls (6-7mm in size), Ive used 43 pearls for a 16 necklace

silver tube spacer beads 10mm long

9 small round silver spacer beads (3mm)

20 gauge silver wire, at least 18 (46cm)

26 gauge silver wire, approx. 3,7 ft ( 1m)

3 headpins

3 bead caps to fit the larger pearls

3 clear color bicone crystal beads (4mm)

clasp of your choice, Ive used a pearl clasp and hook

bead stringing wire Ive used 49 strand Beadalon wire (.015 diameter)

round nose pliers

flat nose pliers

crimping pliers

wire cutters

measuring tape

safety glasses

Steps for making the pendant frame:

1. Cut off 9 of 20 gauge (0,8mm) wire. Grip the end of the wire with your round nose

pliers.

2. Form a loop by moving your pliers away from you.

3. Grip the loop with your flat nose pliers.

4. Use your free hand to bend the rest of the wire around the loop to form a spiral.

5. Your spiral will look like the one in the photo below (far right).

26

6. Make a loop on the other end of the wire as shown in the photo below. The total

length of the spiraled wire must be 3 (9cm) long.

7. We need to curve the bit of wire in between the spirals. For this you can use anything

round with a hard surface for e.g. a drinking glass. Place the wire against the glass

and curve it around the glass. Be gentle, you dont want to break the glass!!

8. Use your round nose pliers to grip the centre of the wire.

9. Bend each side downwards as shown in the photo on the right.

10. Cut another 6 (15,2cm) of 20 gauge wire and make a spiral the same size as the

previous two. Bend the tail of the wire so its central to the spiral.

11. Place the spiral between the two spirals youve made for the frame. Measure 5mm

from the spiral and use your flat nose pliers to bend the wire to a 90 degrees angle to

the right.

27

12. Hold both wires firmly in place with one hand, and wrap the tail of the wire around

the neck of the above spirals. Wrap it 2 to 3 times.

13. Cut off the excess wire using your wire cutters.

14. The frame of your pendant will now look like the photo below (right).

Steps for coiling and attaching the small pearls:

1. You will need approx. 3,7ft (1m) of 26 gauge (0,4mm) wire for the coiling. Use

your 26 gauge wire, and coil (wrap) one end around the side of the wire, above

the spiral.

2. It helps to grip the first coil with your chain nose pliers while coiling the first bit.

26 Gauge wire is very thin. It is almost like working with thread and is very easy to

handle. Just be careful not to bend the wire heavily at the same spot twice, for it

can break easily.

3. It will take some time and patience to do the coiling. Try not to leave large gaps

between the coils.

28

4. Continue to coil the rest of the frame. When you reach the end, cut off the excess

wire with your wire cutters. Flatten the scratchy cut wire with your chain nose

pliers.

5. Your finished coil will look like the photo below (right).

6. Start another coil at the same place, and in the same way as the previous one. Coil

the wire 3 to 4 times and then slide a small pearl onto the wire. Hold it the pearl

on the outside of the frame with one hand, and coil the wire 1 times.

7. Slide another pearl onto the wire, and again hold it in place on the inside of the

frame with one hand, while coiling the wire 1 times round with your free hand.

8. Continue this for the rest of the frame, until you reach the spirals.

29

Steps for making and attaching the headpins:

1. Take three headpins and slide the following onto each headpin: pearl, bead cap,

crystal bead, and silver spacer bead.

2. Follow the steps for making a loop on the page http://www.how-to-make-beaded-

jewelry.com/headpin-loop.html . Make a loop for each headpin.

3. Open a 6mm jump ring as explained on the page http://www.how-to-make-beaded-

jewelry.com/open-jump-rings.html . Slide one of the headpin-loops onto it.

4. Leave the jump ring open and slide the bottom spiral of the pendant frame onto the

jump ring. Close it the correct way, to ensure the round shape of the jump ring is not

distorted.

30

5. If the jump ring is closed, it will hang like the one in the photo below (left).

6. Repeat the same process for attaching the other two headpins to the left and right

spiral.

7. Your pendant will now look like this:

Steps for making the pearl necklace:

1. Cut off a piece of bead stringing wire like Beadalon or Soft Flex wire. It must be at

least 3 inches longer than your necklace size. Slide two crimp beads, followed by the

clasp onto one end of the wire.

2. Bend the end of the wire back through the two crimp beads.

31

3. Place your crimp beads in the bottom slot of your crimping pliers. Press them into the

shape of a crescent moon.

4. Use the top slot of your crimping pliers to press them into tiny balls.

5. Pull on the clasp to make sure its firmly in place before you continue. Your attached

clasp will look like this:

6. Slide 3 small round spacer beads onto the wire. Snip off the little tail of the wire that

is left.

32

7. You can start stringing your pearls and tube spacers onto the wire in the following

order: 3 pearls, one tube spacer, 3 pearls, one tube spacer etc.

8. Keep stringing until you reach the central point of the necklace. Its time to attach the

pendant. String two pearls onto the wire. Then attach the pendant with a jump ring

to the wire.

9. String two more pearls onto the wire. You will now have two pearls on either side of

the pendant. Continue the normal stringing pattern.

10. You are going to finish off your necklace the same way as youve started it, by

attaching the hook of the clasp with crimp beads. String 3 round spacer beads next to

the last pearls youve strung. Slide two crimp beads and then your hook onto the

wire.

11. Bend the end of the wire back through the crimp beads, and preferably back

through the round spacer beads. Cut off the excess wire.

33

12. Your finished clasp will look like this:

13. Use your polishing cloth to remove any unwanted fingerprints on the pendant and

necklace. You can also oxidize your pendant to give it more depth. You will find step-

by-step instructions of how to oxidize a piece of jewelry on p.52 of this e-book.

14. Your spiral pearl necklace will look like this:

34

Tutorial 4: Conical wrap briolette necklace

35

What you need:

a large 1 (2,5cm) high, 15mm wide briolette crystal bead

two types of ribbon. Ive used pink organza and silk ribbons. It is your choice as to how

narrow or wide you would like it to be.

2 coil crimps (also called leather cord ends) big enough for the ribbon

1 pendant bail

one lobster clasp and a 7mm jump ring

small round spacer beads (2mm), 20 or more

20 gauge wire (0.8mm) - approx. 39 (1m) long

26 gauge wire (0.4mm) approx. 4ft (1,2m) long

round nose pliers

chain nose pliers

wire cutters

measuring tape

safety glasses

1. Insert one end of both ribbons into one coil crimp.

2. Use your chain nose pliers to flatten the last coil of the crimp. Pull on the ribbon

to make sure its in place. Do this for only one side of the ribbons.

3. Slide your bail onto the open end of the ribbon.

4. Move the bail to the centre of the necklace.

36

5. Attach another coil crimp to the other end of the necklace.

6. At the end of each coil crimp is a loop. Attach a clasp to one end by sliding it onto

the loop, and a jump ring for the other end.

7. Slide the briolette bead onto the 20 gauge wire. Place it 3 cm (approx. 1 inch)

from the end of the wire.

8. Fold both ends of the wire upwards and across to the opposite direction to form a

triangular shape.

9. Bend both wire ends so they are vertically positioned in relation to the briolette

bead. Cut the short end 3mm above the fold.

10. Grip the longest wire with your round nose pliers directly above the cut. Bend the

wire to a 90 degrees angle.

11. Use your free hand to bend the tail of the wire around the tip of your round nose

pliers.

37

12. Now you need to slide the bail onto the open loop.

13. Grip the loop with your chain nose pliers, to make ready for the wrapping

process.

14. Make your first wrap around both pieces of straight wire.

15. Wrap it around the neck of the loop.

16. Keep on wrapping until you reach a third of the length of the briolette.

38

17. Use your 26 gauge wire and start coiling it around the 20 gauge wire. Coil it 6

times, and cut off the excess wire.

18. Slide 3 spacer beads onto the 26 gauge wire.

19. Bend the wire with the spacer beads into a crescent moon shape, before coiling

the wire again 2 times.

20. After coiling the wire 2 times with the wire facing downwards, slide another 3

spacer beads onto the wire. Coil it another 2 times.

21. Repeat this pattern until you have enough beads onto the wire to cover the

circumference of the crystal bead. When you have enough beads, coil the 26

gauge wire a few times and cut off the excess wire.

22. Start folding the beaded wire around the crystal bead, just below the wrapped

wire.

23. Pull it tight all the way around the bead.

39

24. Fold it around the crystal bead until the two beaded ends meet.

25. Wrap the rest of the wire upwards in a spiral to the top.

26. You can end the wrapping process here, but I prefer wrapping it once more

downwards, and then upwards again, to create a chunky messy look.

27. Stop wrapping when you reach the neck of the loop on top.

28. Use your wire cutters to cut off the excess wire. Press the scratchy end down with

your chain nose pliers.

40

Your briolette necklace will look like this..

..or this if you prefer to oxidize it (see p.52).

41

Tutorial 5: Red coral S-link necklace

42

What you need:

Round red coral disc beads (10mm). You will need 10 or more beads depending on the

size of your necklace. Ive used 8 coral beads for a 14 necklace.

17 gauge wire (1.2mm) : 50 (2,7m) in length, depending on your necklace size. You will

need more wire if you are making a necklace size of 19 or longer.

20 gauge wire (0.8mm): 250 (6,5m) in length. You will also need more of this wire for a

longer necklace.

Wire jig with a super peg of 10mm.

3 (7,6cm) headpin

round nose pliers

chain nose pliers

wire cutters

measuring tape

safety glasses

Steps for making the chain-links:

1. Cut off 2 (6,4cm) of 17 gauge wire. Grip the end of the wire with the middle

part of your round nose pliers.

2. Move your pliers away from you to form a loop.

3. Make another loop at the other end of the wire, to the opposite direction.

4. Cut off 14-15 (36-38cm) of 20 gauge wire. You are going to use this to coil

between the two loops. For a detailed explanation of how to coil wire see

http://www.how-to-make-beaded-jewelry.com/wire-coils.html . When you start

to coil, leave a short tail at the end for a grip to hold on to. It can be very tiring to

grip the wire with your pliers while coiling, especially if you need to coil all the

links as in this necklace.

43

5. The easiest way to coil, is to keep the 20g wire in place with your thumb while

twisting the loop part (17g wire) with your other hand.

6. When you reach the other loop, cut off the excess wire. Press the scratchy end

down with your chain nose pliers.

7. Cut off the excess wire with your wire cutters. Press the scratchy end down with

your chain nose pliers.

8. Your coiled link is now ready to be shaped.

9. Grip the coiled wire with the bottom of your round nose pliers next to the loop on

the right (the loop must face downwards).

10. Bend the rest of the wire upwards around the upper prong of the pliers.

44

11. Grip the wire as shown in the photo below (left), and start bending the left part of

the wire upwards.

12. Move your pliers little by little to form the wire into an S-shape.

13. Be gentle when gripping the wire and moving your pliers. If you press too hard

you might distort the coiled wire.

14. You will find that when forming the second curve, the other one youve made

opens up a little bit. Use your chain nose pliers to close the gap.

Your finished S-shaped link will look like the one on the right below.

45

Making the clasp:

1. Cut off 3 (7,6cm) of 17 gauge wire. Make loops on both ends of the wire. Make the

one on the right a little bit smaller than the left one, by using the tip of your pliers.

The smaller loop makes it easier to go through the hook.

2. Use 20 gauge wire to coil the part between the two loops.

3. Turn the bigger loop to face downwards. Grip the coiled wire next to the loop with

your round nose pliers.

4. Bend the rest of the coiled wire around the upper prong of your pliers.

5. Use a super peg of your wire jig with a diameter of 10mm. Place the piece of wire

underneath the peg, and make sure the peg is central to the wire.

6. Curve the wire around the peg as shown below.

46

Making the hook:

1. Cut off 2 (5,1cm) of 17 gauge wire. Make loops at both ends of the wire. The

loops must be the same size.

2. Use 20 gauge wire to coil the part between the two loops.

3. Grip the coiled wire exactly in the middle with the bottom of your round nose

pliers.

4. Fold both sides downwards to create a horse shoe-shape.

47

5. Your finished hook and clasp will look like this:

Attaching a pair of links:

1. You will need 17g jump rings to attach the chain-links together. It is easy to make

your own jump rings. Coil a few links around the prong of your pliers. You can find a

detailed explanation on the page http://www.how-to-make-beaded-

jewelry.com/jump-rings.html

2. Use your wire cutters to cut each coil to form a jump ring.

3. Place two chain-links next to each other exactly as youre going to slide it onto your

jump ring.

4. Open a jump ring. It is important to open it correctly otherwise the round shape of

the jump ring will be distorted. Click on the link to find a tutorial of how to open and

close a jump ring properly http://www.how-to-make-beaded-jewelry.com/open-

jump-rings.html

5. Slide the two links onto the jump ring, and close it properly.

48

Attaching the coral beads:

1. Cut off a piece of 20g wire approx 3 (8cm). Grip the end of the wire with the

middle part of your round nose pliers.

2. Start coiling the wire around the prong of your pliers by gripping the wire and moving

it away from you.

3. Keep on coiling until you have 3 coils.

4. The shape of the coiled part will look like a P. Use your round nose pliers to position

the coiled loop so it is central to the tail of the wire, like a lollypop.

5. Cut the wire 1 (3,2cm) from the coral bead. Start at the end and coil the wire

around your round nose pliers. Again make the loop central to the wire.

6. Your coral bead is now ready to be attached to the S-shaped links.

49

7. Open the loop at the end of the S-shaped links. Slide the coiled part of the coral bead

onto the loop and close it completely.

8. Do the same at the other end of the attached links.

9. Continue to add two S-shaped links on the right, followed by a coral bead.

10. Do the same on the left hand side.

11. Keep on attaching links and beads. Measure your necklace as you go along.

50

12. When you have enough links and beads, its time to attach the clasp and hook. Open

the large loop of the clasp and slide the last coral bead of the chain onto it. Close it

completely.

13. Attach the hook with a jump ring to the last bead on the other side of the chain.

14. Your necklace is now round. You are going to attach more links and beads to give it a

Y-shape. Find the central part of the necklace. Open the jump ring and slide a bead

onto it.

51

15. Attach two s-shaped links to the bottom of the coral bead.

16. Slide one coral bead onto a 3 (7,6cm) headpin.

17. Cut the headpin 1 (3,2cm) from the end of the coral bead. Coil the headpin in the

same way as the other coral beads. Attach it to the bottom loop of the s-shaped link.

Congratulations, your coral bead necklace is now ready to wear!!

See an example of the oxidized necklace below.

52

How to oxidize your jewelry:

To oxidize your jewelry, means to give it an old, aged look and adding definition to the

wrapped wire. I just love oxidizing silver wire jewelry to give it more depth. I will show you

an easy way of oxidizing your jewelry with only boiled eggs. It is harmless, without any bad

fumes and good for nature too. You can oxidize any material including pearls and

gemstones with this method. This is especially handy if you would like to oxidize only a few

pieces and you dont want to purchase liver of sulfur, which is highly toxic.

I oxidized all 5 jewelry pieces at once, using 6 hard boiled eggs. Crumble the hard boiled

eggs into pieces and place it in an air tight container with your jewelry. Place the egg and

jewelry in layers on top of each other. Make sure the necklaces are all covered with egg,

otherwise the part that is not covered wont oxidize well. Close the lid of the container

tightly. Leave it for approximately an hour or two. When you open it, the silver will have

turned black. Rinse your jewelry pieces with water to get rid of the small unwanted pieces

of egg.

Use your size 0000 steel wool to polish your necklaces. Sometimes little pieces of steel wool

might get stuck between the wires. Use a steel brush, or an old toothbrush to brush it off.

53

About the Author

I was privileged to be born in South Africa where I grew up on a beautiful African farm. I

was fascinated by the pattern, design and vibrant colors found in traditional Zulu African art

and the landscapes around me. I started painting and drawing, using colors and natural

materials found in the African veldt. Several of the small cards I made for people with

Guinea fowl feathers still survive and remind me of my roots.

After completing my degree at the University of Pretoria, I married my husband and we

decided to broaden our horizons by travelling to Taiwan. It was to be one of the most

formative years in my jewelry making career. I discovered the joys of hunting for exotic

gems, beads and materials that were imported from all the far flung countries on the planet

and sold in Taiwans Jade markets. A further bonus was the opportunity to learn the skills

of the ancient art of Chinese knot tying. There are literally hundreds of different knots that

can be carefully woven to form amazingly intricate necklaces and bracelets. This was also

where my love affair with pearls started. There were varieties and colors of pearls I had

never seen or heard of before.

Once our time in Taiwan was over, we decided to travel to Europe, where we spent the

next six years of our lives. The opportunity arose for me to study jewelry making at the

Redbridge Institute in London. I totally immersed myself in the course and emerged even

more passionate about jewelry making than before. My favorite haunts were the quaint

little bead shops in Covent Garden where I spent many hours selecting the right beads for

my special projects. London was also the first place where I managed to make and sell

many jewelry pieces. At times I could not keep up with the demand but that all changed

when I had my little girl in Church Langley on the outskirts of London. I was solely focused

on my role as mother but I longed to return to my beloved jewelry making. After many

dreary days indoors, I decided to share my love of jewelry making with the world and that is

how www.how-to-make-beaded-jewelry.com was born. I have been absolutely

overwhelmed by the support and interest from people from all over the world who share

my passion.

It seems that our globetrotting has finally come to an end for a while and we are settled in

beautiful sub-tropical Queensland in Australia. It is truly amazing for me to sit outside,

make jewelry and watch the colorful parrots play in the palm trees outside our house

Thank you for becoming a part of my jewelry making journey and sharing my passion.

Marlize Kasselman

54

Disclaimer:

The materials contained in this e-book are provided for general information purposes only and do not constitute legal or other professional advice on any subject matter. The author does not accept any responsibility for any loss which may arise from reliance on information contained in this e-book.

Permission is given for the storage of this e-book for the purpose of viewing on a personal

computer. The contents of this e-book are protected by copyright under international

conventions and, apart from the permission stated, the reproduction, permanent storage,

or retransmission of the contents of this e-book is prohibited without the prior written

consent of the author.

Some links within this e-book may lead to other websites, including those operated and maintained by third parties. Ive include these links solely as a convenience to you, and the presence of such a link does not imply a responsibility for the linked site or an endorsement of the linked site, its operator, or its contents (exceptions may apply).

This e-book and its contents are provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

Reproduction, distribution, republication, and/or retransmission of material contained within this e-book are prohibited unless the prior written permission of the author has been obtained.

_________________________________________

See contact info below

55

Contact info

I hope you enjoyed reading this e-book! I value the feedback of my customers, and

would love to hear from you. Also contact me if you have any questions or

comments at ebook@how-to-make-beaded-jewelry.com