When I was in high school, I got bit by the jewelry-making bug. I had been experimenting with making jewelry from beads, paper, fibers, buttons and anything else I could get my hands on. A friend of mine was doing a lot of wire-wrapping with polished rocks and stones, and her pieces looked so beautiful that I just had to give it a try. So I bought some tools and some wire and a book about wire wrapping and sat down to teach myself how to do wire-wrapping.

Sixteen mangled rocks later, I discovered that I wasn't so good at wire-wrapping, and I gave up. When I started getting into beadwork a few years later, I shied away from any project with wire because of my past experiences with it. Then a beading friend showed me just how easy it was to create wire-wrapped loops and make my own jump rings. Eureka! I realized that yes, I could still do simple wire work and create lovely and unique handmade components to accent all of my beaded creations! Then I tried Viking knit with colored craft wire, and, well, I was totally hooked. The infusion of color into my finished beadwork was just what I needed to give my work a signature look, and I've now become a wire convert!

If you're ready to jump into making your own wire jewelry findings, here are a few tips from the Boy-I-Wish-I-Knew-This-Before-I-Started department:

	Knowing which wire tool to use for which task can be crucial. Always buy the highest-quality tools that you can afford!

3. Protect your eyes. You wouldn't necessarily think about protecting your eyes when making wire jewelry, but flying bits of wire coming from your wire cutters can pose a danger to your eyes. To minimize the risk to your eyes, either wear a pair of lightweight plastic safety glasses (available at any hardware store) or make sure that you cover your wire with one hand while cutting with the other. Don't learn the hard way on this one - your eyesight is too important!

4. Work right from the spool. When you do finally go in and start working with precious metal wire, you can minimize waste by working right from the spool or coil of wire. Instead of cutting larger pieces of wire that might leave you with unusable leftovers, just start working right on the end of your spool or coil of wire.

5. Use the right tool for the job. After you've invested in a good set of wire working tools, you'll want to make sure that you know what each tool is for and how to use it. As a general rule, don't use your regular wire cutters for things like memory wire - the memory wire is too stiff and will ruin your cutters. If you think you'll be doing a lot of work with memory wire, invest in a special pair of memory wire cutters. Your hands (and your regular wire cutters) will thank you!

If you want more great tips and information about working with wire, visit our new Wire Jewelry Making Topics Page here on Beading Daily. You'll find some handy information for getting the most out of your wire working tools and supplies, as well as comprehensive lists of all the great resources like books, magazines and videos available all about making wire jewelry! And if you're looking for a great starter reference book, you definitely need to check out Denise Peck's new book, Handcrafted Wire Findings. Denise shows you how to create your own wire jewelry clasps and wire earring findings with clear, easy-to-follow directions and photographs.

Have you ventured into the wonderful world of wire jewelry findings yet? What have you learned that you want to share with others who are just starting to work with wire? Share your tips and hints here on the blog!

Bead Happy,

Jennifer

Tweet