Enhance Your BEADS with Freeform Wire Weaving, Wrapping and Coiling

Originally posted as Enhance Your BEADS with Freeform Wire Weaving, Wrapping and Coiling by Sandy.

Have you ever come across a bead that needed just a little something more?

Maybe it was a bead you created yourself, in clay, ceramic, glass or the like.

That’s what started me on this project, while learning how to lampwork I made some beads that were on the verge of being nice, they just needed a little help.

These techniques can be used to enhance any beads, turning “meh” into something special!

Tools & Materials:

• Bail making pliers
• Round nose pliers
• Flat nose pliers
• Chain nose pliers
• Bent chain nose pliers
• Nylon jaw pliers
• Wire cutters
• Ring clamp
• Cushion clamp (I misspoke in the video, I got this tool from WireJewelry.com, not Interweave)
• Liver of sulfur
• Pro polish pads
• Bare copper wire, 20 & 26 gauge
• Sterling silver filled wire, 20 ga, 22 ga, 24 ga 28 ga

As a starting point for figuring how much wire you need:

• 26 gauge wire wrapped on 20 gauge yields 1 inch of coils per 10 inches wrapping wire
• 28 gauge wire wrapped on 22 gauge yields 1 inch of coils per 6 inches wrapping wire

Helpful videos:

• Wire Weaving Basics (shows variations of weaving patterns)
• What Do Dead Soft, Half Hard and Full Hard Mean? All About Wire Hardness
• More about ring clamps
• How to Give Your Jewelry an Antique Oxidized Look with Liver of Sulfur Patina

Notes about wire:

• If you want to add a patina to your wire work, do NOT buy wire that has a coating or says non-tarnish.
• You can purchase wire from Amazon, but for the silver filled you’ll likely get better prices from RioGrande.com or FireMountainGems.com

Beads from Dollar Bead Box:

• 16x20mm Stabilized Turquoise
• 15x30mm Brazil Opalite Twisted Tabular Oval
• 30mm Porcelain Oval, Blue

Share your work and see what other jewelry artists are creating in my Keepsake Crafts Create Facebook group!

Black & Purple lampwork bead with silver coils:

• 1 ¼” x ½ “ bead
• 20 gauge base wire
• 24 gauge wrapping wire
• 8.5 inches base wire
• 3 inches of wrapped coils

Turquoise lampwork with copper weaving:

• 1 ¼” x ½ “ bead
• Two 20 gauge base wires, 6 inches each
• 26 gauge weaving wire
• 2 inches of weaving

Opalite Oval with silver coils:

• 1 ¼” x 5/8 “ bead
• 22 gauge base wire, 7 ½ inches long
• 28 gauge coiling wire
• 5 inches of coils (30 in. 28 gauge wire)

Stabilized turquoise with copper weaving:

• 3/4” x 5/8“ bead
• Two 20 gauge base wires, 7 inches each
• 26 gauge weaving wire
• 2 inches of weaving

Green & black lampwork with copper weaving:

• 1 3/8” x 3/8“ bead
• Three 20 gauge base wires, 7 inches each
• 26 gauge weaving wire
• 2 ¼ inches of weaving

Watch the Enhance Your BEADS with Freeform Wire Weaving, Wrapping and Coiling video on YouTube.

For more posts like this, please check out Keepsake Crafts .