A gentleman/student-friend of mine, Jack from New Jersey, sent me an email the other day, asking about anklets. You have all heard me say that a lot of my personal inspiration comes from my students, thus the inspiration for this article.

It is the height of the summer season when women’s fashion calls for shorter skirts, Capri pants, shorts and longer halter dresses with side slits. Footwear includes heeled strappy sandals, decorative flip-flops or the lovely naked foot (which has been treated to a stylish pedicure). Therefore an important fashion accessory is the Anklet, as it calls attention to the legs and feet of a fashionable woman, charming and elegant no matter her age.

Now I am not going to go into major detail with regards to the history of the anklet, but you may find it interesting to know that this little jewelry item dates back 4500 years, to ancient Mesopotamia. That puts anklets in the same time line as wire jewelry! Ankle bracelets were and still are an important cultural accessory for women in India. North American women began wearing anklets in the fashionable 1950’s, and from the 1960’s through today (2010) we see anklets worn by both men and women. I also have to give fashion credit to the early Egyptians as anklets were worn by almost everyone; the rich whose anklets sported gemstones to show their wealth (predominately turquoise and lapis) while the less fortunate adorned their anklets with charms and amulets, later moved to the wrist to become . . . charm bracelets!

Anklets can be made from about any material. Some are simple pieces of leather, single strands or braided, with or without a charm or bead embellishment, which are tied around an ankle. Trendy anklets include those made of plastic-similar to a braided lanyard; fabric or rickrack adorned with tiny bells for dancers; braided embroidery floss – the ‘friendship’ anklet; stretchy, etcetera. Fashion anklets are made of both precious and base metals, some a simple decorative chain, while others incorporate beads and/or set gemstones.

Making different styles of anklets is easy and fun! From casual to more formal designs, with a bit of wire, chain, beads, maybe a snapset CZ stone or two and a good clasp, you will be able to satisfy any customer.

The most common anklet lengths are from 7 to 10 inches, however by following a few of my suggestions, your designs can be as versatile as your customer desires. To customize an anklet, using a measuring tape, measure around the person’s ankle, right where they would like it to lay, and then add half an inch. Another way to measure is to use a length of chain, in the same manner, and then measure the length of chain needed, subtracting the length of the desired clasp. Adding an additional 1 to ¾-inches of chain to the desired finished length adds size versatility to any anklet design.

Use a 4-inch piece of 22-gauge round wire with a wrapped loop at each end (insert the chain before the loop is wrapped closed) with a pretty combination of beads in the center and finish with a trigger clasp. The clasp will fit into any of the chain links, so a small headpin charm has been added to the opposite chain end, acting as a weight-dangle. This ‘beaded center’ anklet design can dress up or down, depending on the beads used. (You could even make earrings and a simple pendant charm to match, for your ‘sun goddess’ customers.) To make it even more simple, here are the stepped out directions for my Easy Agate Anklet.

Just remember to be careful about the bead choice as some materials like freshwater pearls, fluorite and turquoise (to name a few) will not hold up well in the summer sun, chlorine in pools and hot tubs or salt water. A ‘water-fun’ anklet is a good time to use whimsical beads made from shells!

For an elegant summer wedding or dinner, an anklet made of 14kt gold filled chain with freshwater pearl and crystal drops will certainly add sparkle to a tanned leg in a pair of summer heels. Use a length of medium weight chain; add a few wrapped headpin drops and a nice clasp-Done!

Entertaining young girls at a sleepover or a birthday party can be a piece of cake if you add a craft table. Provide some elastic cord, brightly colored glass, plastic or wooden beads, maybe some alphabet and number beads (depending on the guests ages) and Ta Da! Instant fun and a take-home anklet party favor, possibly personalized with their name or the date of the event.

If you wish to offer a slightly different product to your customers, try attaching a chain from the anklet at the top of the foot to an adjustable toe ring, to fit the big toe. In Eastern cultures, this chain was added to force a smaller/shorter step for the ladies. (Similar to a slave bracelet, but for the foot.) The ‘Lady Bugs’ sample, shown below, is a combination of four headpin charms that I used to attach two chain lengths together, before wrapping in the final loops.

Now, in closing I have to tell you that my ‘ending’ has changed. WS Faculty member Charley Key came by my studio yesterday afternoon and had a question about making ‘boot bracelets’ (thus my new ending). You can take all of the ideas in this article, use a heavier weight chain, add a couple of inches and . . . Ta Da!! Boot bracelets are born for the winter and fall season.

Now go and have some fun decorating ankles and enjoy the summer in ‘style’!

Always Twisted,                                                                                                                                                                                                 Dale/Cougar

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
July 29, 2010

Question:

What gauge of wire do I use for hoop ear rings? Everything I try seems to be too light.

-Cookie in Atlantic City, New Jersey

Answer:

The size of the wire used for hoop earrings really depends on the style of hoop you desire to create. If you want to make plain hoops that go through the ear with nothing on them, take the size of a piercing into consideration and use from an 18-gauge for larger holes, down to a 21-gauge for smaller.

If you want to make a more substantial hoop, then my advice would be to use any gauge you want, from an 18- through a 14-gauge, and attach the hoop to an ear wire or post for the customer’s comfort. When using these larger gauges, it is fun to forge the hoops with a chasing hammer and a bench block, to add some cool texture to the metal.

For a start, check out this Free Pattern for Hoop Earrings.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
July 26, 2010

Question:

A few patterns I have call for 14-gauge “twisted wire,” with no further explanation. Does it mean a 14-gauge square or half round wire, twisted?

I also have one that requires 14-gauge round twisted wire. Does that mean 2 round wires twisted together, since round wire can’t be twisted alone?

And lastly, if the pattern calls for 13 in. of twisted wire, how long would that be before twisting?

-Jeanne in Waukesha, Wisconsin

Answer:

Without knowing exactly what the projects are, it is difficult for me to determine what another designer means by the terms you quote. Often, if you can look at a photo of the finished project, you can figure out what they are referring to. If you cannot determine the details in this manner, I would email the author personally and ask them, as unfortunately sometimes editors cut out what they feel are unnecessary details to save space in a publication.

I will try to clarify some of these for you though, just from personal experience.

I would say that “14-gauge twisted wire” refers to a square wire that has been twisted. I do not think that twisted half round wire would be a regular item, nor have I ever worked with a 14-gauge half round wire in that manner. For the “14g twisted round wire,” I would agree with you that it means 2 round wires twisted together.

Your last question, about how long to cut a square wire before twisting to end up with 13 inches, really depends on how tightly you twist it. I would begin with a 14.5 inch long piece if twisting rather tightly. When the wire is twisted to your desire, measure it and record the results in your designer notebook so you will have a reference for the next time.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
July 22, 2010

Question:

I want a free e-course on jewelry making for beginners which covers the basics for making a necklace, chain, bracelet, earring etc. Your help in this regard would be highly appreciated.

-Sumy in Chennai, India

Answer:

Wow! Who wouldn’t want something like that, an entire jewelry making course that is 100% free! Unfortunately I do not know of any such thing currently available, as everyone has bills to pay, including the fees to host such a course. However, I can provide you with links to the valuable information Wire-Sculpture does provide for free:

• Jewelry Resource Center
• Free 7-Part Jewelry Course
• Free Patterns by Email
• Free Jewelry Ideas & Inspiration

You could also spend some time searching the Internet for all of the great free tutorials, patterns and information available, and then organize your own course.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
July 18, 2010

Question:

I recently bought three Yellow Mexican Labradorite 1.5mm faceted gemstones (they’re beautiful!) from JTV, but they looked much larger than what I ended up with. I was hoping to make either ring and earrings or pendant and earrings. But I am not sure if I should use snap-set mountings or wire wrap them. What would you do?

-Mary in Santa Rosa, California

Answer:

This is a classic case of purchasing gemstones either because the close-up on television looked awesome or purchasing by the carat weight, rather than by the actual stone size. Although I am sure they are lovely, melees are very difficult to use in wire jewelry designs. (Personally, I have never used anything smaller than a snapset 3mm round, as smaller sizes can hardly be seen in my wire designs, even when used as accent stones.) As you have asked what I would do, I would either try to find 1mm snapsets somewhere and cluster all 3 stones together so they could actually be seen in a pendant design, or I would take them to a goldsmith with a few other loose stones and have him or her design something special.

When purchasing wire wrapping gemstones from a television source in the future, you may wish to choose stones for their size, rather than their carat weight, as some stones are very heavy meaning their size can be very small. For example, sapphire (corundum) has a density of 3.95-4.03 and quartz (amethyst, citrine, smoky, ametrine, etc) has a density of 2.6; therefore if you were to put an amethyst and a sapphire, each a 10ct brilliant cut stone, side-by-side, the sapphire would be smaller in size.

These facts are why Wire-Sculpture sells their natural gemstones by their size. When a wire jewelry artist sells a design that incorporates a gemstone, we use a scale to weigh it before wrapping, so we can sell the finished piece with the carat weight.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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