Curly Wire & Bead Ring
If you like instant gratification, and who doesn’t, then you’ll enjoy making this quick Curly Wire & Bead Ring. Of course, they aren’t as quick as instant coffee, but they are pretty easy to make and take only a small amount of wire and a few beads.
You’ll need:
2-3 inches 18 gauge round wire
2-3 inches 22-28 gauge round wire
a bead or two
wire cutters
jeweler’s files
round nosed pliers
flat nosed or bent nosed pliers
raw hide hammer
ring mandrel
Note about Sizing:
To make a size 5 ring, I used 2 inches of wire when I made the copper and hematite ring pictured above. However, this will vary depending on the size of your beads. For the green ring which is a size 8, I used almost 3 inches of wire, but my bead was shorter than the hematite tube I used in the first ring. Play around with it, and remember that the wire isn’t going completely around a finger since a bead or beads are added in the center.
1. File the ends of your round wire.
2. Wrap the wire around a ring mandrel to shape into a big U.
3. Use round nosed pliers to curl both ends, but do not close the curls yet.
4. Take your other wire and wrap around the U a few times just below one of the curls.
5. Thread the wire through the curl next to it.
6. Thread on your bead or beads.
7. Bring wire down and inside the curl on the opposite end of the ring.
8. Wrap the wire around the U.
9. Use flat or bent nosed pliers to press the ends of the wrapped wire so it is flat against the ring and file a little if necessary so it doesn’t poke the wearer.
As pictured above, I made a ring using 22 gauge, round, green wire. However, I must say that it wasn’t that easy to do, and I didn’t like how it turned out compared to the copper and silver ring that I made. Colored wire is easy to mark up if you handle the wire too much.
I think these are great little rings to make for Church bazaars or craft shows. You could make a bunch of them and use up left-over beads. Then toss them in a bowl for a few dollars a piece for those little impulse purchases.
For more ring projects, take a look at my list of ring links under Ring a Ding Ding.
You can find ALL articles I've created for this site, which are organized per medium (beads, wire, metals, glass, etc) under the Topical List I've created.
Here's a printer friendly copy of this file.
All graphics created by Tammy Powley.
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