Celtic Wire Chain

If you want to make a pair of earrings using a wire design, then it’s no big deal to bend the pieces by hand. However, if you want to create a chain of wire components, that’s when a wire jig really comes in handy. I used a wire jig to create a number of Celtic Wire Components and then connected them together with wire and beads for this pretty chain.

You’ll need:

your choice of wire (I used 20 gauge round.)
choice of beads (I used round 8mm green glass.)
wire cutters
round nosed pliers
flat/bent nosed pliers
jewelers’ files
jig

Note on Supplies Listed: The length of wire and number of bead depends on the size of your finished chain. Obviously, the longer the chain, the more wire and beads you’ll need.

1. Again, I refer you to my Celtic Wire Component project so that you can create the number of wire components you need for your chain. I made mine using 20 gauge round wire. My pieces were about 1 inch in width when I finished, and I used about 8 inches of wire for each one.

2. Now cut a few inches of wire, and make a wrapped loop on one end.

3. Slip on your bead.

4. Make another wrapped loop on the end of the wire to complete your bead piece.

5. Now connect the bead piece to one of the Celtic components.

6. Continue making Celtic components and bead pieces and connecting them until you have the length of chain you want.

Now wear your chain with pride, and maybe you need a pair of those Celtic Wire Earrings to match.

All graphics created by Tammy Powley.