Today, quite a popular direction of creativity is hand-made. Indeed, is it possible to compare circulation jewelry with those works of art that are obtained from ordinary materials. In addition, when making some kind of pendant, you put a part of your soul into it, which means that it will also be a talisman that can protect you and your loved ones from all kinds of evil. And today we will talk about how to make jewelry from ordinary or jewelry wire.

Is this material for women?

The opinion that wire is not an elegant enough material for making small and neat women's jewelry, erroneously. But if you think about it, then with the right approach and the presence of a good scheme, even from this seemingly rough material, quite elegant things can turn out.

Also, do not forget that modern advances in technology provide an excellent opportunity to make wire of any diameter and from any material.

In addition, due to its flexibility, you can make absolutely amazing weaving from it, which can become part of not only jewelry, but also interior elements.

As for jewelry made of jewelry wire, they first appeared in Ancient Egypt. At that time, rich ladies used it to decorate their hair. And then this material was made as follows: thin strips cut from a metal sheet were first twisted and then pierced between two flat surfaces.

Thus, all the irregularities on the material were smoothed out, and the product no longer cling to hair or fabric.

Types of wire: what can be used to make jewelry

Today, in the manufacture of jewelry, it is not at all necessary to be limited only to copper or iron.

Fortunately, you can create an interesting little thing using wire from the following materials:

• Brass. This material is very resistant to corrosion, quite elastic and bends well, so there should be no problems with shaping your product;
• aluminum. The characteristics of this metal, in principle, coincide with brass. The difference is only in color. The aluminum alloy has a bluish-gray tint, so jewelry made from this metal can be combined with silver;
• Thin steel cable. This material consists of interwoven thin stripes galvanized metal. It is for this reason that when working with such a cable, you need to be very careful, because if the structure is damaged, sharp edges can cause a rather deep cut. And another disadvantage of such a material is that an elegant product will not work out of it;
• Wire mesh. Yes, yes, this very material, which is quite often used for the manufacture of animal enclosures, can also become the basis for your products. The main thing is to decide on the diameter of the wire and create!

And, of course, copper can be used to make wire jewelry. In addition, it is worth remembering that copper material can be coated with multi-colored paint, which means that you will not be limited in choosing shades for your future material.

Also, the advantage of this material is that it does not shine, so do not worry that you will make the earrings or pendant too large and look like a magpie.

Also, copper does not oxidize much, so you can avoid the appearance of an unpleasant greenish or dark plaque, which definitely will not add to your image of attractiveness.

Please note: wire can be used not only as the main material for the manufacture of various items, but also as finishing material. With it, you can beautifully decorate the floor gems or make small pendants using wood or beads. Most importantly, use your imagination!

Wire Jewelry: pendant

Jewelry made of copper or silver wire: ring

From this material, you can make not only pendants, but also rings. But do not think that only children can wear products of this type. Not at all, it all depends on which model you decide to implement.

The copper key will become a mysterious and original decoration that will perfectly complement the steampunk or boho look, and can also be used as an interior accessory.

In order to make such a key with our own hands, we need:

• copper wire: 2 pieces about 40 centimeters long, thick (1.2 mm in diameter) and very thin;
• flat small bead, about a centimeter long;
• pliers;
• small vise or clamp;
• anvil (you can take any metal bar, for me it’s a part from a dumbbell);
• a hammer.

Making a key from copper wire

First we create upper part our key. We take that wire that is thicker, combine the ends and bend it with a “fish”.

We pull on the ends until the loop shrinks to about 1.5 cm in length.

Now you need to make side loops. Holding the place where the wire crosses, we draw one of the tails of the wire in a circle and tighten the loop until right size(about 1 cm long).

We do the same with the second tail. I just do it with my hands, the copper wire is quite soft. But if it seems hard, you can always help yourself by grabbing the ponytail with pliers.

The procedure must be repeated on both sides again, as a result, five loops should be obtained. We put our workpiece on the anvil and begin to knock with a hammer.

It is not necessary to hit too hard, the main thing is to keep the hammer even so that it does not fall on the edge and does not leave ugly dents on the workpiece. The ends of the loops can be flattened harder, but where the wire crosses, it is important not to overdo it so that it does not break.
This is roughly how it should turn out.

Cunning: you can beat the workpiece only from the side that will then be the wrong side. Then the front will turn out smooth and even.

We clamp the workpiece in a vise so that the ends stick out, and begin to twist them together.

We twist to the place where the beard of the key will be (about 3 cm). Then we bend one of the ends at a right angle, and straighten the other down.

Stepping back about 2.5 cm, grab the lower end with pliers and begin to bend.

We bend to the end and tighten it more tightly with pliers.

Again we clamp the key in a vice, trying to press both the bent end and the twisted part.

Now we grab the end of the resulting loop with pliers and twist, and then bend the remaining tail parallel to the second.

We cut to an equal length and gently give a rounded shape with pliers.

And again we put it on the anvil and knock with a hammer. The very tip of the key and the beard can be flattened more strongly, with the rest we try not to overdo it.

It remains only to attach the bead. Take a thin wire, cut in half. We pass both pieces through the bead and put it in the center of the upper part of the key.

Now you need to wrap each tip of a thin wire around a thick wire 2-3 times. To get rid of protruding tails, we bend the wires at the very base several times, and they break off neatly.
Ready! Can be hung on a string or chain and worn with pleasure.

Wire and its varieties can be used both in the manufacture of some decorative products, and in an independent form. Due to the flexibility, crafts made from this material are accessible even to schoolchildren, and a rich variety of species allows the imagination to diverge. We will learn how to get started simple crafts from different types of wire.

Chenille Animals

To determine which wire to use for crafts, you need to start from how old the child is taking part in the creative process and what you are going to do.

To create animals, fluffy colored wire is suitable, which children like younger age It is flexible and not brittle. To begin, form a small nub at the end of the wire, then wrap the next piece around a pen or marker and continue as a squiggle tail, pulling out the stationery.

Cut off two small blanks and bend at the tips of the paws, then attach to the body. The color and shape of the figure will determine the type of animal, stick the eyes on the muzzle. From this funny wire you can make plastic men and other interesting things.

copper wire horse

Cut two pieces of wire, one longer than the other. The short one will serve as legs when we bend it at an angle, and the long one will take on the shape of the horse, including the head on the side.

We wrap the entire body of the horse with wire in a colored sheath, ring to ring, close. In places of hooves, the wire is wound repeatedly in a thick layer so that the animal is stable. By the same principle, you can make other animals by finding photos of crafts on the Internet.

Flower

This DIY wire craft is original and not as simple as the previous ones. Previously, a paste is boiled from starch, cotton pads are dipped into it.

After drying, we paint, cut out the petals and fasten several pieces together, highlighting the core with yellow and white paint, which will then be occupied by a piece of cotton wool. A stem is made of wire, wrapped with green tape or electrical tape, leaves are added and fastened with a flower.

Wood

With the help of round nose pliers, hard wire and beads, you can create amazing jewelry. Having twisted a spiral trunk from several pieces of thick wire, we bring them into graceful branches. They can intertwine with each other, and then grow apart, giving the tree sprawling.

Red bead fruits appear in the loops, oblong green bugle beads cover strong branches with dense foliage. It is important to firmly strengthen the rhizome of the tree in a pot with pebbles.

Oil burner

This instance is not the easiest, but the most functional, let's try to tell you detailed instructions for the production of useful gizmos from wire.

We bend a circle from a thick wire and solder its ends with a soldering iron. On this base we solder five equal pieces of wire of medium thickness at an equal distance and bend a little in the middle. After we bring the ends to one point and solder to the base of the floor lamp, a circle of thick wire.

From a metal plate we make a bowl and a side indented by zero as much as five tenths of a millimeter. Now for the upper part of the wire of medium thickness we make four squares different sizes, cut four identical pieces from the same wire.

At an angle, solder a short piece of wire to the largest square, a slightly smaller square on it, and so on. We make a circle from the middle wire, attach it to the legs from the same wires to the very last smallest square.

We cover all parts of the lamp with silver spray paint. Then, with a thin copper wire, we go through the entire body of the floor lamp and weave beautiful large beads into the pattern, at the same time connecting the two parts.

Vase

Take not too thick and elastic wire and a deep plate. Attach one end of the wire to the bottom of the container and start wrapping around the plate from the outside. You can do this both randomly and pursuing a special pattern.

After the entire plate is covered with wire on the outside, fasten the other end to the first by twisting them together several times and masking the knot between adjacent lines. Remove the plate and level the resulting vase for fruits and sweets.

Figures and decorations

By twisting a thick wire with round-nose pliers, you can create a mysterious frame for unusual bottles, jugs or vases. Also bewitching are the decorations from copper wire, which, as it were, hold precious stones in their paws, wrapping around their wrist, finger or ear like a snake.

Such handmade jewelry is filled with pleasant energy and will always be an exclusive addition to the image.

Trees, animals, mythical creatures, abstract figures can become holders for jewelry and jewelry, keys, business cards, tools and gadgets, and making wire crafts will become a favorite pastime for children and adults, if you do not limit your imagination and use your favorite images.

Photo of wire crafts

Wire pendants with stones

Wire is a strong and malleable material that can take any shape. The unique properties of thin metal threads were successfully used by ancient jewelers, who weaved filigree patterns, creating jewelry of amazing beauty. The material holds its shape well, has a noble luster, isn't it a paradise for the modern jewelry industry? Modern masters can, as if by magic, turn a coil of ordinary wire into spectacular and stylish accessories. Do you want to learn how to make exclusive wire jewelry with your own hands? Then we offer to master the simple ABC of craftsmanship, and learn how to create real miracles using the example of master classes.

Basics for beginners

The names of the ancient jewelers who successfully embodied the fantasy in wire jewelry are unknown to contemporaries. The art form “wire wrap”, which means “wire wrapping”, went down in history under the name of the craftsman Alexander Calder. The master from an early age learned to weave original products. He made the first crafts as a gift to relatives and friends, and later an unusual hobby turned into a lifelong business. Original, original, openwork works inspired many to accomplish creative feats.

Alexander Calder and his work

The main principle of such needlework is to use thick wire for the base and thinner and more flexible for braiding products.

Wire wrap pendant

In weaving, you can add beads, stones, all kinds of decor. By the way, if the wire is braided on top with a thin thread, then such needlework is called ganutel. To learn how to create beautiful wire accessories, you need to know a few simple secrets:

• Selection of tools. The job requires a small arsenal of tools. Beginners will need round nose pliers, several types of pliers with sharp, nylon, rectangular tips, a wick or sandpaper. To create complex weaves of patterns, experienced craftsmen use anvils, a spur and a hammer, crossbars and a drawing board in their work.
• So that, in the end, home-made jewelry made of wire has, as they say, a “shop gloss”, you can use sulfuric liver to cover it. With this material, products made of copper, aluminum, brass, bronze wire are patinated to create a noble effect of antiquity.
• It is enough to master the creation of several elements to make an author's masterpiece. The simplest elements include a spring, balls and rings.

Wire Tools

To make a spring, it is enough to wind a piece of wire around the crossbar. Such an element can be used for braiding or as an independent decorative detail. To make a ball, you will need a burner or gas burner. To make the droplets perfectly even, you need a drill. By the way, you can create new interesting elements from a ball with a hammer and anvil. Rings are connecting parts, indispensable in the creation of beads or bracelets. It is enough to wind the wire on the crossbar, “bite off” the excess and remove the perfectly even ring. The diameter of the ring depends on the thickness of the crossbar. Having obtained the necessary knowledge, having prepared necessary tools and materials, you can begin the creative process.

Use of improvised tools for working with wire

Master classes on creating jewelry

Unusual jewelry made of copper wire, bronze or brass, can acquire the most different forms. For example, you can make original jewelry for hair, rings and bracelets, openwork necklaces or pendants. Beginners should not worry about the lack of practice and experience in creative work, simple and detailed wizard the class will help in creating the author's collection of luxurious jewelry.

Turquoise copper wire earrings

Hair ornaments

In anticipation proms such a master class is especially relevant, because many girls are in a creative search for their image. I want to be the brightest, most beautiful, exclusive. There is a sure way to create an unusual look by decorating stylish hairstyle hairpin hand made in the form of a flower with a graceful curl. The algorithm of work is the following:

1. On a piece of paper we will draw a sketch of the future product, schematically marking the location of the beads and the pattern on it.
2. We start work with a coil, smoothly moving to the outer circle of the product. Place the end in a spiral that is slightly higher. The result should be a round element with antennae. We work continuously with round-nose pliers to make the product neat.
3. We twist the place where two curls touched with a few more tight turns, weave in beads, and then braid the base of the hairpin with a thin wire.

Stylish decoration for hair

To make it clearer for beginner craftswomen, we offer an auxiliary scheme:

• six curls between beads;
• ten curls between large elements;
• eight curls between smaller elements.

simple hairstyle with spectacular decoration

To make the hairpin gentle and have a finished look, we string small beads at the beginning of weaving, and large beads can be woven into the middle.

Similarly, you can make not only a hairpin. There is original way decorate hairpins - just braid with a thin metal thread, adding a few beads or beads to the weave.

Delicate hair ornaments based on hairpins

Luxurious pendant

Copper wire has high ductility, it can be easily cut, heated, soldered. Thanks to their unique properties, budget and beautiful in appearance, the material has become a favorite in needlework. What can be done from copper wire with your own hands? Yes, everything that fantasy tells you - bracelets, rings, pendants and much more. Luxurious wire pendant master class:

1. Prepare tools and materials. You will need a coil of copper wire with a cross section of 0.1 mm to 1 mm, pearl beads, wire cutters, round nose pliers and a drill.
2. The main part of the product consists of two segments of 16 cm long and 1 mm thick. We make turns with a thin copper thread 0.1 mm around thicker segments, then bend the two braided parts into a ring. We bend the remaining tips with a snail.
3. We wind a thin one on a segment with a thickness of 0.3 mm, the length of the base is 12 cm. We pass its end between the wicker parts, fix it. We make a small kink, wrap it around the frame several times.
4. In the upper part we make the same kink, and the remaining part is wound on the base. We make a snail from a wire 1 mm thick, we wind it to one and the other kink.
5. A thin wire thread is attached to the upper part, pearls are strung on it, the ends of the wires braid the workpiece, and we bite off the excess with wire cutters. So add all the prepared beads.

Copper wire pendant with pearls

In order for the product to have an elegant glossy sheen, we polish the surface of the pendant with a drill, and then rinse it under warm water. Luxurious, intricate, in the spirit of oriental jewelry of the Magnificent Age, the pendant is ready to decorate any lady's outfit.

sweet heart

There are many workshops on making stylish wire jewelry, on the example of which you can learn how to create magnificent author's collections. But a few simple tips will help beginners to do the job at a decent level:

• In order not to patinate the wire, non-oxidizing materials should be used. For durability, you can varnish the surface.
• After heating the wire on the fire, rub it with baby cream while still warm, and then wash it off with soap and water. Patina - the effect, as they say, on the fan. Many craftsmen prefer to cover the jewelry with gold, silver or bronze paint, and varnish it on top for shine.
• Be sure to draw a diagram and sketch of jewelry before starting work. Working with wire is thin and filigree, it requires attention and perseverance. When you see a wire decoration that you want to repeat with your own hands, mentally divide it into components, so it will be easier to work.

Each master has his own fantasy, creative ideas and vision of the future masterpiece. All kinds of decor, such as beads, beads, stones and even buttons, are ideally combined with wire. For beginners, for practice, you can use ready-made master classes, and in the process of weaving, supplement the idea with your details.

Funny cat earrings
Copper bracelets for every taste

Video of a master class on making copper wire earrings with turquoise

Video master class on making a rainbow heart

Nothing adorns a women's costume like unusual costume jewelry, chosen with taste and to the point. Meet the Wire Wrap style, wire jewelry. Yes, yes, from wire, however, jewelry: copper, aluminum, brass, silver-plated, gold-plated. Unique hand-made products created in a single copy. Any other jeweler is not able to repeat exactly the author's jewelry, it will be just a copy.

Quite often, the master working in the Wire Wrap technique is asked the same question: “Why was such a metal chosen as copper? Alloy brass? Masterpieces self made created from the most simple materials, in finished product something completely different is important: the author's essence of the jewelry, its energy, positive, which helps the owner to walk through life, attracting the attention of others. A direct translation of the Wire Wrap technique means “wire wrapping”, however, the ultimate goal of creating a unique product is rarity, originality.

To make a bracelet, ring, necklace or earrings, the author needs to have such serious skills in working with metal as firing, soldering, blackening, patination, and so on. The creator of the jewelry does not work with a needle, like an embroiderer, not with knitting needles, like a knitter, but with wire cutters, pliers, and a hammer. Serious preparation for the process "gives out to the mountain" such rare products.

In terms of their beauty, Wire Wrap jewelry can easily compete with other representatives of fine hand made jewelry - products made of beads, felt, stone.

It all started with the idea of ​​the sculptor, artist, engraver and handicraftsman American Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976), who hails from the city of Lawnton (Lownton), Pennsylvania (USA). During his life, the author created one thousand eight hundred Wire Wrap jewelry, inserting pieces of ceramics, wood, glass, and leather into copper and brass wire. At first, Alexander gave jewelry to his friends and family. Much later, he became a famous sculptor, creating his unique Cirque Calder collection of wire and fabric, which now adorns the halls of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

His Wire Wrap jewelry was worn by many celebrities with pleasure, and with his mobile sculptures, "mobiles" that easily change poses when shown to the audience, he entered the history of art forever.

Wire Wrap design is a real find for daring fashionistas, because no other piece of jewelry gives such scope for imagination and self-expression. unusual shapes jewelry, their bulkiness emphasize courage, sometimes a challenge to society, outrageous. Metal wire in contact with the skin has a beneficial effect: since ancient times, the properties of copper have been known to increase immunity by acting on the endocrine glands. Humanity has been informed about the benefits of gold and silver for a very long time: these precious metals prevent blockage of veins and increase blood microcirculation, have bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties. That is why wire jewelry is not only beautiful, but also healing.

Hand-made products in the Wire Wrap style is not just a tribute to a capricious fashion that quickly changes its vector. Jewelry made of metal wire, created by the founder of a new direction in the art of creating style Alexander Calder for his beloved wife Louise, today costs millions of dollars at auctions, adorn expensive private collections.

The article was prepared by Zhanna Pyatirikova.