A simple spool of wire has so much potential! Pair it with a beautiful stone or five, and you can create a one-of-a-kind pendant to hang on a necklace chain. That’s a good thing for me. Because I love gemstones – the fact that they are old and discovered, then cut, drilled and polished to become beads. And the wire, usually copper or silver, also comes from the earth.

If you can make a simple loop, you’re off to a great start. If you can also make a wrapped loop, you will have some needed practice with coiling wire. Once you have mastered the wrapped loop, spirals and coils will follow easily so you have a variety of skills at your fingertips. Wire wrapping takes practice, so inexpensive copper wire is great for learning. And its warm color is beautiful to wear.

So, what do you need to get started?

Wire, of course. Start with copper. Gauge is the unit of measurement for the thickness of wire, with the numbers increasing as the wire gets thinner. For example, 14-gauge wire is thicker and takes some hand strength to work with, 18-gauge is a bit thinner and easier to work, 20-gauge is often used for ear wires, 26-gauge is delicate for intricate wraps and 30-gauge is almost thread-like.
Pliers and cutters will help you shape and manipulate the wire and get consistent results. I recommend getting the best quality you can afford. There are good quality starter sets available, but if you make a lot of wire jewelry, the solid construction and smooth finishes of professional flush cutters, round nose pliers, chain nose pliers, bent chain nose pliers and flat nose pliers. If you know you will work with heavier gauge wire, consider a heavy duty cutter and save your smaller cutters for finer work.
Needle files will smooth the ends of your cut wire to give you joins that appear seamless.

Our tutorial on how to make a wire wrapped pendant will take you through all the steps to make a pendant of your own to hang from your favorite chain.

1 Wire Wrapped Pendant

How to Make a Wire Wrapped Pendant

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Active Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes

Difficulty: Intermediate

Make a unique piece of jewelry with wire and gemstones.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about our affiliate linking policy.

With our tutorial on how to make a wire wrapped pendant, you will have a statement piece to wear as a necklace of any length when you add the chain of your choice.

Materials

3 feet plus a separate -inch piece 26 gauge wire. Copper and dead soft sterling silver are easy to work with. I used sterling silver for this project.
3 inches plus 6 inches 20 gauge wire. I used dead soft sterling silver wire.
1 Flat gemstone or focal bead with the hold drilled through the center. I used a 1-inch brown impression jasper disc bead.
1 dangle bead, approximately 1/4-inch wide X 3/4-inch long with a hole drilled lengthwise through the center. I used and irregular Arizona turquoise bead.
Enough small accent beads to surround the focal bead. I used 3mm round turquoise beads.

Tools

Bead reamer (Helpful if you need to enlarge the golds of any beads.)
Flush cutters
Round nose pliers
Chain nose pliers
Bend chain nose pliers (Optional, but helpful for wrapping wire.)
Wire straightening pliers (Optional, but helpful if there are kinks in your wire.)
Needle file
Chasing Hammer
Rubber/silicone mallet
Bench block
Sound muffling pad (Optional, but your ears will thank you.)

Instructions

Gather your materials and tools as listed above. Jewelry tools are not the same as household tools. They are designed for precise work and have smooth surfaces to prevent marring soft wire. It's worth buying he best you can afford.
Straighten wire with wire straightening pliers if needed.
Insert the 3-inch piece of 20 gauge wire through your focal bead. Use a bead reamer to expand the holes if needed.
Prepare your 6-inch piece of 20 gauge wire by straightening, if needed. This wore will frame the focal bead, supporting the beaded perimeter.
Find the center of the 6-inch wire. Hold the center with round nose pliers and bend, bringing the ends together.
Gently squeeze the bend, keeping the roundness of the bend.
Grasp the bend with the tip of your round nose pliers. Wrap each end of the wire over the jaw, crisscrossing at the opposite side of the jaw.
You should have a small loop with two equal straight ends.
Slide the loop you have just made over one end of the center wire. This will be the bottom of your pendant.
Gently bend one side of the perimeter wire around the focal bead. Leave just enough space to allow for wrapping the 26 gauge wire between the perimeter wire and focal bead.
With chain nose pliers, wrap the perimeter wire around the center wire 1 time.
Trim excess wire with flush cutters.
Use a needle file to smooth the cut end of wrapped wire.
Repeat the wrap for the perimeter wire on the other side. If this wrap is fussy, scrap wire between the focal bead and perimeter wire helps maintain shape and spacing.
Make 1 wrap around the center wire above and next to the previous wrap. Trim and file the cut edge until smooth.
Thread the 3-foot piece of 26 gauge wire between the perimeter wire and focal bead at the bottom of the pendant until the center of the fine wire reaches the perimeter wire. Bend the center of the 26 gauge wire around the perimeter wire.
Make 3 close wraps of the fine wire around the perimeter wire between the perimeter wire and the focal bead. Slide these wraps to the bottom of the pendant.
Bring the other end of the 26 gauge wire to the other side of the pendant and make 3 close wraps as before. You should now have 3 wraps on each side if the pendant base. Add one small bead to one end of the 2 gauge wire and slide it close to the wraps.
Hold the small bead at the outside edge of the perimeter wire and wrap 3 times.
This view shows the 3 wraps of 26 gauge wire around the 20 gauge perimieter wire.
Dontineu adding small beads and wraps until you have filled one side of the pendant.
Trim excess wire close to the wraps.
Repeat on the other side of the pendant.
Work harden the loops on a corner of your bench block with a chasing hammer or silicone/rubber mallet. I used silicone to keep the wire's round shape. A chasing hammer will flatten the wire if you want that look.
Grab your 6-inch piece of 20 gauge wire. Test fit the wire into the dangle bead. Use the bead reamer to enlarge the holes if necessary.
Make a simple wire loop at one end of the wire. See our tutorial on How to Make a Simple Wire Loop for Jewelry.
Insert the wire into the dangle bead. The loop will be the bottom of the dangle.
Begin forming a wrapped wire loop at the top of the bead. Use the tip of your chain nose plaiers to pace the 90-degree bend 1/8 inch from the top of the bead.
With your round nose pliers, hold the wire above the bend and wrap the wire over the round nose jaw.
Reposition the pliers in the loop and complete the circle wrap around the jaw.Keep the loop open so you can add the focal piece in the next step. DO NOT MAKE THE FINAL WRAPS YET
Slide the bottom loop of the focal onto the dangle wire until the circles of both loops intersect. The dangle should :dangle" now.
Hold the top loop of the dangle with round nose pliers. This will help preserve the shape of the loop while you make the final wraps.
Grip the end of the wire with chain nose pliers and wrap 2 or 3 times, filling the space between the loop and the dangle bead. Trim excess wire and use needle file to smooth the end.
And here is the completed wire wrapped pendant, ready to add a chain. Attach with jump rings or a pretty bail.
Another view of the brown impression jasper and turquoise pendant.
The pendant is pretty on blue, too.
The details stand out on a light neutral backround.
The stitching hghlights more colors in the gemstones.
Beautiful with a rich purple.
The lavender undertones in the jasper come out on this background.

Notes

All tools are specifically for jewelry making. Household tools will not offer the precision needed for fine wire work.

Wire for jewelry making varies is material, size and hardness and your choice will vary depending on your project.

Sterling or fine silver is very pliable and easy to work with. Copper is another popular metal for wire working, and is more economical than silver. Craft wire varies from brand to brand.

Wire size is called gauge. The smaller the gauge number, the thicker the wire. 12-gauge is used in heavier jewelry than ultra-fine 30-gauge. Heavier wire, 16-gauge and thicker, can require special tools (and strong hands).

The most common hardness choices are dead-soft, half-hard and full-hard, with dead-soft being the most pliable. Most project instructions will specify the preferred hardness to use.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Here are some other views of the wire wrapped pendant in the tutorial. The stones are beautiful on a variety of background, versatile for any wardrobe.

Here are more wire wrapped necklaces. Each is different from the others. One of the lovely things about working with wire is its malleability. I can bend it to work with any number of shapes. I have a thing for semi-precious gemstones, but if you like bling, go for crystals and shiny, faceted beads.

Silver Wire Wrapped Picture Jasper Pendant

I fell in love with this laser cut focal bead and several like it at my very first bead show. Each unique stone reminded me of a different landscape. They were works of art on their own merits. In a class with Tara Brisbine, I learned to shape, hammer, weave and coil silver wire to create my Silver Wire Wrapped Picture Jasper Pendant. It was a perfect way to work with unique beads.

With each student using different sizes and shapes of stones, the result was a lovely variety of work – no cookie cutter jewelry! Being able to adapt the basic wire structure to show off other beautiful stones opened wide the creative doors.

The “what ifs” provide endless possibilities. What if the focal stone has an irregular shape? What if oxidized copper creates the coil wraps instead of silver? Perhaps small gemstones could embellish the coil wraps And so on, and so on….

Silver Wire Wrapped Turquoise Pendant

These special turquoise stones were an anniversary gift from my husband. I took him to an Out of Our Mines trunk show, and he took the bait. I love the resulting Silver Wire Wrapped Turquoise Pendant, fashioned with sterling and fine silver wire.

Though each of these turquoise stones is different, I wanted to use them all in a single piece of jewelry to commemorate our anniversary.

First, I needed to find a pleasing, balanced arrangement for the stones. I had to consider color, size, shape and method of drilling. Different drilling methods require different wire wrapping techniques.

With the turquoise arranged, I needed to design a hanging structure. I decided to treat each bead independently while making the five focal beads work together as a unit, so I needed five places to hang the bead dangles. I laid out heavy thread to audition various shapes. Then I made alterations and adjustments before cutting into precious silver, using the length of thread to measure wire for cutting. I settled on a hexagon shape with loops.

Chenille stems (pipe cleaners) would work well, too, for auditioning shapes. They are readily available, inexpensive and hold their form much better than thread.

I added small round turquoise stones to the wire wraps on the pendant’s frame, then added the silver chain and clasp.

Lapis and Pearl Silver Wire Necklace

Lapis and Pearl Silver Wire Necklace is the result of another class with Tara Brisbine. During class, I hammered and wrapped antiqued sterling silver wire to form the framework of the necklace.

Hammered sterling spirals suspend the “trapeze” so that it moves freely. Tiny green pearls surround faceted round lapis beads. Small lapis gemstones perch on the horizontal bar of the silver frame. Fine silver wire holds them securely in place.

The focal stone is a mystery – I picked it up from a bowl of unidentified “last of” gemstones just because I love the shape and lustre. Lapis surrounds it, attached with wrapped fine silver wire. Fine silver is softer than sterling, so it creates smooth wraps.

I love the little clover leaf component dangling at the bottom of the piece. Top drilled teardrop shaped freshwater pearls compose the “leaves”. In different colors, they might mimic flower petals. If you prefer gemstone briolettes over pearls, you have even more options for the clover leaf component.

The same wire wrapping technique works for this teardrop or briolette shaped bead, regardless of the material. Take care to arrange your “leaves” or “petals” early on. You can then secure the component with additional wraps. Add a few wraps or many – you’ll know when it looks good to you!

Lapis and Pearl Sterling Wire wrapped pendant

Copper Wire and Mixed Gemstone Necklace

Liver of Sulphur oxidized the metal to give the Copper Wire and Mixed Gemstone Necklace an antique, vintage look. (When you use liver of sulphur, make sure your workspace is well ventilated – it’s stinky stuff! And never use your liver of sulphur container for food!) Tiny wire wrapped stones surround the large focal Jasper gemstone.

This stone is pretty on both sides, and this design allows either side to show. Individual wrapped gemstone links (a great way to practice those wrapped loops) make up the one of a kind chain with an interesting mix of colors and textures. A carnelian dangle picks up the rusty matrix color in the Jasper focal. Then a copper toggle clasp completes the piece.

Mixed stones arranged by color balance the chain’s design. I audition the components before construction by laying out the pieces on a soft surface (so the round beads don’t roll away from me!) Then I make changes before I connect the pieces to each other. A little time spent in preparation prevents time lost later fixing mistakes.

Measure twice, cut once. Lay out twice, construct once. Your cell phone or digital camera is a great tool in the design phase. Shoot a picture, rearrange, then shoot another picture. Repeat as often as necessary. Once you have a design you love, go for it!

Copper wire mixed gemstone wire wrapped pendant

Below are two stones wrapped in wire by Jan Thompson. Jan uses a different technique that wraps cabochons, flat-backed stones with no holes. The wire forms an external frame to secure the cabochons in place with an intricate framework. Here is her description of these works:

Since learning how to wrap stone in wire, I don’t look at any pebble, rock or stone the same way. I look to see what color metal will work best, or possibly a combination of metals. Each stone is unique and an amazing variation in color, movement and texture generously provided by mother nature. Flat-backed cabochons are perfect for the jewelry I love to make.

Contributed by Jan Thompson

A little more about Jan:

When asked why I make jewelry, quilts, wall hangings… anytime I am making something…I do it because I must….

Learning new techniques and putting them to use in unique ways is a driving force for me. Jumping from quilting to painting to jewelry and back is evidence of my need to do multi-dimensional work. At least with this addiction I have an end product that I can keep, give away or sell.

When I create, I use all my senses, I dream of things to make, I doodle and draw out those ideas, I enjoy the ‘making’ and it makes my heart sing regardless of the outcome. There are even times when I literally blow myself away with what I accomplished.

So when asked for an artist statement the best I can do is…. I create because I must!

Browse through more jewelry making ideas and inspiration on Create Whimsy.