Wednesday, May 01, 2013

In The Pink ~ Wireworking Tutorial

Maybe I'm back... Or, maybe I'm just avoiding the task of unpacking all the boxes...

Either way, as I put on my pink corduroy shirt this morning, the thought of making some new pink earrings propelled me into the studio. Yay... ignore the boxes and have some beady fun! As long as I was doing it, why not take a few pictures? OK, so here's a mini-tutorial about wire working.


This is how they look finished.


You need half/hard or full/hard wire for these, because they need to have some "spring" to them in order to be able to fasten the hook at the back. I used 20 ga., half/hard, gold-filled wire for this pair.


Cut two pieces of wire, each 4.5 inches long. File one end of each wire, so that the cut end is smooth. Use a small, round-nose pliers to make a small loop at the filed end of each wire.

Load the beads on the wire. Disc-shaped, lampwork beads work well for this style of earrings. I add a gold-plated snowflake spacer bead and a 2mm gold-filled, round bead on each side of the disc. After adding the beads, bend the wire upward at a 90 degree angle as shown in the picture. If the loop is turning the wrong way, grasp it in the jaws of a flat-nose pliers and twist to position it correctly (horizontal).


Use a felt-tip marker to make a mark on the wire 1.5 inches above the right angle bend. This mark will be at the center of the top of the earring.

Place a 3/8" or 1/4" dowel as a mandrel under the wire, centering the mark on the dowel. Bend the end of the wire downward, over the dowel, toward the loop at the back of the earring. Do this step slowly, checking your progress and making sure the bend is directly above the beads.


Cut the end of the wire about 1/8 inch below loop. File the cut end smooth, and slightly round the edges. Then I sand the tip of the wire with #400 (or finer) sandpaper, and polish it with a soft cloth to make it totally smooth.

Use round-nose pliers to round the tip upward a little, allowing it to hook into the loop for security.

These earrings are very comfortable to wear. Because of the hook at the back, you'll never cry over one lost earring!

16 comments:

  1. Great tutorial and wonderful earrings!

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  2. Beautiful, simple elegance! good luck with unpacking...=)

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    1. Thanks - I need your "good luck" as I'm now at the stage where ANYTHING is more fun than unpacking and organizing.

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  3. Thank you for working out this tutorial, despite the many moving chores still waiting for you. You must have felt like a queen, walking around with your new earrings.
    I am extremely curious to see what you are working on in the way of bead embroidery, and how the piece mirrors your new situation.

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    1. I do enjoy wearing them, Sabine! I promise the next post will have my current bead embroidery and some words about how it reflects what is going on with the divorce and move. I'll try to do it in the next day or two. Thanks for visiting ;>}

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  4. Robin great to have you back and you are starting to sound more like yourself .
    Don't worry about the unpacking it will get done as you need to.(speaking from experience )
    Just bead and enjoy life

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    1. Thanks, Faye... This is the kind of advice I really like! Yay! I got my office/computer area organized this evening. Maybe tomorrow I'll just take a few hours to bead. Whooohooo!

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  5. You make it look SO easy ~ and these are SO purdie. And what a concept ... make your jewelry each day to match your attire!! At least with all that unpacking you are organized enough to know exactly where your beads n' tools are. I would say you definitely have your priorities in place, my friend ;>]]

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  6. Oh, thanks Sweetpea! You're right about it's being fab to know where stuff is right now... at least the stuff I use all the time, the stuff that is organized and put away, which is most of the things in my studio.

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  7. When you zoom in you can really see the intricacy and the detail needed to create just the right shape - just the right connection - it's such fine work that requires very very skilled hands!

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  8. What a fantastic way to show off lovely lampwork beads!

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    1. PS. I will share on my blog so others can come visit!

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  9. Thanks, Pearl! They really are a great way to show off disc-shaped lampwork beads. In fact, I'm wearing my purple ones today :) !

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  10. Great tutorial. Do you leave the loop open a bit to catch the wire thru the loop.

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    1. Thanks, Unknown... I don't leave the loop open, but it's easy to slip the end of the wire into the loop from the top, making a safe closure. Try it... you'll see.

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Thanks you for joining the discussion on this post today!