Pearl of the Sea Woven Pendant

Skill Level: Intermediate

Technique: Weaving wire

You can create this woven pendant using just a single large bead, with or without the pearl embellishment. The finished piece looks complex, but it is relatively short and simple. Get the look of a wire wrapped cabochon with a large bead - including a woven bail!

Materials

• 22-gauge dead soft or half hard round wire, 26"
• 22- or 24-gauge round dead soft wire, 10" (match the hole diameter of your pearl)
• 28-gauge round dead soft wire, 10 feet
• One 30x40mm oval bead - Judy used Lapis
• One 8mm pearl or bead

Tools

• Flat nose pliers
• Chain nose pliers
• Round nose pliers
• Bent nose pliers
• Nylon jaw pliers
• Flush cutter
• 5/16" mandrel
• Painter's tape
• Ultra fine point Sharpie marker
• Ruler

Instructions

Note: It is important to read through the directions before starting.

1. Straighten and cut one 12" piece and two 7" pieces of 22 gauge wire. Set them together side by side, the 12" piece on the outside, wire ends even on one end and tape one end of the bundle together. Mark 3-1/2" in from the even wire ends. Measure out and mark 1-7/8" to either side of the 3-1/2" mark (center mark).
   
   
   
   
2. Cut a 10 foot piece of 28 gauge wire to use as wrap wire. Hold the bundled wire so you will be wrapping outward toward the end not taped. The long wire should be the one on top in the photos. Find the middle of the wrap wire and bend it over the marks on the taped wire bundle as shown, the right side of the wrap wire in back of the bundle. Pull the right wrap wire to the front between the two lower wires. Pull the wrap wire up and around the top two wires, wrapping twice. Pull the wire down behind all three wires.
   
   
3. Pull the wrap wire up to the front from behind the wire bundle. Wrap the lower two wires twice. Pull the wrap wire from the back to the front between the lower two wires.
   
   
4. Continue wrapping in the upper two and lower two manner until you reach the outer mark. Turn the wrapped bundle around and over. Remove the tape.
   
   Wrap outward from the center mark until you reach the outer mark on that side. You will now have a right and a wrong side showing on the woven section.
   
   
   
5. Center a 5/16" mandrel on the woven section. The long wire should be on the right side of the woven section in front of the mandrel. Bend the section over the mandrel, making sure the ends of the woven section are even and that both right sides of the weave are facing forward. Cross the woven wire ends as shown, making sure that the longest wire is outside (the one bent out on the right side).
   
   
6. The distance from there the woven wires cross each other to where the weave ends should be the same for both wire ends (A=B in the above photo). Shape the woven wires to the curve of the bead. The ends of the wraps should not go beyond the holes on either side of the bead.
   
   
7. Slide the bead onto the longer outer wire from the right side of the woven section. Push the wire and the woven framework as flush to the bead as possible. Bend the wire up on the other side of the bead.
   
   
8. Hold the left side of the woven framework wires on the bead. Pull the outer framework wire to the back under the wire coming out of the bead. Then pull it up and around the bead, ending by pulling it down in front, to the outside of the other two framework wires.
   
   
9. Wrap out 3" around the single bent up wire coming out of the bead. Bend this wrapped wire in front of the loop, following the curve of the woven wires on the left of the loop.
   
   
10. Bring the wrapped wire around the back of the crossed woven wires. Push the bead back a bit to thread the wrapped wire down to the front between the woven wires and the bead. Pull the wrapped wire around to the front right, following the curve of the woven wires. At this point, if the end of the wrap on the wrapped wire does not reach the hole in the bead, you may have to wrap it a bit more.
    
    
11. Pull the single wire tightly under the two woven wires. Pull the wire to the back under the woven wires. Pull the wire down. This should be a mirror image of the wire wrap in Step 8. This wire will now be the outer wire.
    
    

12. Wrap the outer wire for a distance of 1" beyond the hole in the bead. Trim the wrap wire off and press the cut in into the core wire. Trim the core wire to 3/16" beyond the end of the wrap.
    
    
13. Use round nose pliers to curl the end of the wire in. Curve and form the wire into place onto the bead.
    
    
14. Using the wrap wire trimmed off in Step 12 and wrapping from the hole in the bead outward, wrap three times around the remaining two wires on the right side of the bead. Then wrap around the outer of the two wires three times.
    
    
15. Continue the 3 and 3 wrap for a total of six wrap sets. Form the wrapped section to fit the curve of the outer wrapped wire. Connect the two together with one wrap.
    
    
    
16. Continue the 3 and 3 wrap for a total of three more wrap sets. Then wrap the inner wire 3/8" beyond the last wrap. Trim the wrapped wire off 3/16" beyond the last wrap. Trim the other wire 1/2" beyond the last wrap holding it in place. Using a round nose pliers, curl each wire end into place as shown.
    
    
17. Now over to the remaining wires on the left side of the bead. Wrapping from the hole in the bead outward, wrap three times around the inner two wires on the right side of the bead. Then wrap around the outer of the two wires three times. Continue for a total of seven 3 and 3 wrap sets.
    
    
18. Wrap the inner wire 3/8" beyond the last wrap. Trim the wrapped wire off 3/16" beyond the last wrap. Trim the other wire 1/4" longer than the other wire. Using a round nose pliers, curl each wire end into place as shown.
    
    
19. Coil the remaining left outer wire and press to the back of the pendant. Or, if you prefer, pull the wire back up to the back of the pendant, trim the wire off, and tuck the end in under the woven section. Or, bring it to the front for another decorative wire.
    
    You may stop here, if you like, without a pearl embellishment. If you'd like a pearl or bead embellishment, carry on:
    
    
20. Straighten and cut a 10" of 22 or 24 gauge round DS wire. The size wire you use is determined by the hole size of the pearl. Center the bead on the wire. Bend the wires down on either side of the pearl, pushing wires as close to the side of the pearl as possible.
    
    
21. Push the two wire ends from the front to the back between the focal bead and the wrapped section. The two wire ends should be on either side of the bail.
    
    
22. Holding the pearl tightly to the focal bead, pull the back right wire to the front. Pull the left wire to the front and thread between the wrapped and woven wires on the left side.
    
    
23. Wrap the left wire in a clockwise direction once around the base of the bead. Wrap the right wire in a counter clockwise direction once around the base of the bead. Continue to wrap around the bead, alternating wires, until there is about 1" of wire each left. Pull the wires to the back. Trim off excess wire and tuck the ends in under the bead and the woven wire.
    
    
    
    

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