Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
August 16, 2011

Question:

What gauge and temper of wire should be used to make ear pins, sweeps, or vines?

-Linda in Westbrook, Connecticut

Answer:

To make ear pins that will hold up to the constant abuse they will take while putting them on and off, I use 21 or 22 gauge round wire in either a full hard, or spring hard, temper.

Sometimes wire is sold by a number, rather than the familiar terms for temper or hardness such as “dead soft,” “half hard,” and “full hard.” Here is a link to a chart explaining what each number corresponds to: Wire Temper by Number.

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip

Question:

Hi, I’m new to wire working and I purchased the Jump Start series. I also purchased the G10-22 sliding pin vise. I watched your video on using a pin vise, and when I try to do it the square wire twists very tightly on the ends and not so much it the middle. I also tried it with my husband’s drill and it did the same thing. What am I doing wrong? Thanks.

-Shirley in Lafayette, Louisiana

Answer:

Hi Shirley, and welcome to our "twisted" world! I am always happy to help folks of any skill level in any way I can. Twisting wire is not very difficult and you are doing it correctly; however, different wires do twist differently. Most precious metals like sterling, Argentium® and gold-filled, as well as some of the base metals, all twist pretty consistently, and there is no "trick" to doing it. If you take a few minutes to read either the article on our blog Getting Twisted or the directions that come with our automatic wire twister, you will find many ideas for twisting wire combinations as well as the answers to questions you may not have thought of yet.

No, wire does not always twist consistently. It is the nature of the product. While you twist a piece of square wire slowly, watch it: the wire twists at each end first, and then in the middle. Occasionally, with lots of practice, you can twist evenly using a drill or automatic twister, but it is a rare event. If you desire a consistent twist, you have to plan for it by adding a half-inch or so to the overall length of wire you are working with and cut the tightly twisted ends off. But remember this is handcrafted jewelry! It is not supposed to "look" like it is manufactured.

I am glad that you enjoy the Jump Start series and I hope it gives you enough information to convince you to go forward with your new wire jewelry hobby!

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip

Question:

I have an almost cylindrical cut stone that looks like an emerald cut front and back. It almost looks like a crystal, but it is the same dimensions top to bottom. If I use prongs on it, should I add prongs to the underside as well? With regular prong settings that do not use snap sets, what keeps the stone from falling out from the back side?

-Kevin in St. Petersburg, Florida

Answer:

Hi Kevin, your stone sounds very pretty and easy to set! In my opinion, prongs should not be used on the back side of a stone because small, sharp prongs can easily get caught in fabric or knit, thus pulling away from the stone (resulting in a lost stone) or jutting out and irritating the skin. You describe the cut as being emerald-style; it would be easy enough to make a pendant using a prong frame setting, where the stone is held in at the top by prongs and regular pulls (like a framed cabochon) hold the stone in on the back side.

Regular pulls will work with an emerald cut; simply plan your wraps so that the pulls run alongside the facet on the back, being about invisible from the front. Because of the emerald facets, your stone could also be set in a regular frame (which would be my choice, if adding the set stone as the focal point on a bracelet).

Of course, the Orbit prong pendant design will fit about any size or shaped stone. The prongs are custom-designed by you, to fit over the crown and girdle of the stone and then slightly down part of the pavilion, after which the lock-in-wires form a stable frame just under the girdle, so no wire shows through the top of the stone at all. Whichever design you choose to use, have fun with your unique stone, Kevin!

Note: Just as this Tip "went to Press," Kevin sent in a picture of his unique stone, as well as his finished design! We hope this gives you some ideas to try in your own jewelry-making:

Wire wrapped by Kevin Thornhill; images courtesy of Kevin Thornhill.

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
August 10, 2011

Question:

I purchased several polished stones with no holes. I want to wire wrap them into pendants, do you have a DVD that would help me, as I am a beginner?

-Ava in Clearwater, Florida

Answer:

Hi Ava, depending on whether your undrilled stones are flat, rounded or very irregular in shape, my best advice would be to first look at the sample photos of these four choices:

1. For a flat stone, similar to a cabochon, you could use DVD 2 in the Beginner Series, that teaches how to formulate and create a frame to make a pendant;
2. DVD 3 in the Beginner Series not only shows how to make a harness for a puffed heart, but I also talk about how to use this design for other irregular shaped items;
3. Also in the Beginner Series, on DVD 6, you learn how to formulate and create a cage that will fit just about anything!
4. Of course, you could sign up to take an on-line class with me and learn how to Lock That Rock! into a charm or pendant that could be used on a necklace, bracelet, cell phone charm or key chain!

Have fun with your rocks!!

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
August 9, 2011

Question:

Do you know a pattern for making ear cuffs for people who do not have pierced ears and cannot tolerate screw-back or pressure clamp earrings?

-Shelley in Dallas, Texas

Answer:

Hi Shelley, not only do we have several patterns for ear cuffs, but we also have supply kits! If you do not already receive our Free Email Patterns, I would like to suggest that you sign up to begin receiving them right away! These are completely free patterns and a new design will be sent to your valid email address every two weeks, completely stepped out with both written and photographed directions (by the talented members of the Wire-Sculpture Faculty and me).

We currently have a kit for Donna Zimmer’s Ear Cuffs, and when you sign up to receive our Free Email Patterns, one of the many patterns you will receive is a fun Ear Cuff with a Dangle by Albina Manning! I hope you enjoy all of the creative wire jewelry designs we can send to you! (By the way, each of the Jewelry Making Supply Kits comes with enough supplies to create three of each project! What a deal.)

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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