Simple Wire Wrapping for Beginners - Wrapped and Bejewelled Holiday Earrings

Have you tried wire-wrapping before? It looks really complicated, right?

Well, it doesn't have to be. 

I'm going to show you how simple it can be when you use these cool Artistic Wire Wrappers frames.

First off, they're a total game-changer when you're into wire crafts... they save you so much time, it's crazy. 

You know those annoying moments when the wire just won't stay put? Well, these wrappers have neat notches that stop the wire from slipping around the frame. 

Plus, they're all shiny and silver-plated, giving your creations that extra touch of bling. 

Trust me, these little gadgets are a wire artist's best friend. Take a look at the project below and you'll see what I mean!

To make these earrings you'll need:

• 2 silver Artistic Wire circle Wrappers
• 26g silver Artistic Wire
• 2 smokey black crystal stars with top hole
• 6 x 4mm Light Siam crystal bicones
• 6 x 4mm silver crystal bicones
• 2 silver holly charms
• 2 silver striped candy cane charms
• 2 Beadalon crystal pinch bails
• 8 x 4mm jump rings
• 2 interchangeable silver earring wires
• fine silver chain
• tools: flush cutters, chain nose pliers

Cut a length of wire, approximately 30cm (12") long and wrap it several times around one of the notches close to the loop.

Wrap it around the notch diagonally across from the first notch and add a red crystal.

Continue wrapping around the notches, adding silver and red beads on 6 of the wires. Make sure you add them on both the front and the back.

Once you get back to the notch on the other side of the loop, wrap it around the notch two or three times to secure it and then thread it back through the nearest bead.

Pull the wire through with the chain nose pliers taking up all the slack. Trim the wire with flush cutters taking care not to cut the wire the bead is threaded on.

Squeeze the bail together so that the prongs are closer together.

Place it opposite the bail on the Wrapper and squeeze it closed. You will need to do this with pliers. This is the top of the earring.

Cut two different lengths of chain, attach the longer one to the star and shorter one to the candy cane. Add a jump ring to the other end of each chain. Before closing the jump ring on the star component, add the holly charm and then hook it onto the bottom bail. Attach the candy component to the bottom bail also.

Hook the earring wire through the top bail and press the ball and wire together firmly. Use the remaining components to make a matching earring.

Now you can see how easy it is to wire wrap when you have notches to help keep things in place. The neat thing about this project is that your wire wrapping doesn't have to be perfectly neat. Wrapping over and under beads puts a kink or two in the wire but it doesn't look out of place!

'Til next time.....

If you can't get enough of My Tutorials and you want even more inspiration, click here to find my books and printable pdfs