When life gives me lemons, it also gives me new jewelry

I was making a pendant the other day to be put up for sale in my Etsy shop. I had a beautiful round labradorite cabachon that I intended to transform into a Two-Trees necklace. I had been working on the piece for an hour or so and was nearly finished, when I pressed the pliers too hard and heard a heartbreaking 'crack' sound. I looked at the stone, and there was a crack across the entire length of it. The stone was basically broken in half, but still held together firmly by wire. I made sure the piece wasn't going to fall apart, and then decided to finish it.

Of course such an item can't be put up for sale, so I simply kept it for myself. I am now a happy owner of a brand new labradorite necklace.

I've worked with hundreds of gemstones over the years, so it's inevitable that I brake one every now and then. Most of them are broken beyond repair, but some of them are still salvageable. For example, I currently have two crochet bracelets that I made with stones that were chipped on one side. That's actually how I came up with the crochet bracelet design in the first place - I was trying to find a way to cover up the chipped part of the stone.

So there you have it. Every time a gemstone breaks under my pliers, I get a chance to have some new jewelry for myself, or even to create some brand new designs.

Want to learn how to make jewelry yourself? Check out these jewelry making tutorials I made for you:

- Wire-wrap tree ring

- Wire-wrap leaf pendant

- Wire-wrap tree pendant

Wire-wrapping tools and materials

If you’re thinking about getting into wire-wrapping, it would seem pretty obvious that you’ll need some pliers, cutters, and of course wire. But if you’re just starting out, the vast amount of the tools and types of wire available out there might be overwhelming and a bit confusing. So if you’re wondering what you actually need for wire-wrapping, here are the tools and materials that I personally use for my work.

TOOLS

Let’s start with the tools. If you just want to give wire-wrapping a try and you're not sure if this is something you're going to stick to for a longer period of time, then you probably don't want to spend too much money on them. In this case, I recommend a low-cost set of four or five basic tools, such as this one. The tools won't eat through your wallet, but they will start falling apart after a while. After that, if you still want to continue with wire-wrapping, then I definitely recommend investing in some serious high quality tools, such as mine.

LARGE NOSE PLIERS

I use two pairs of large nose pliers, one round and one flat. They’re both necessary for working with the thick hard wire, in order to bend and twist it in the exact shape you desire.

The pliers I use are not explicitly made for wire-wrapping. They’re actually high quality working tools. Still, I wouldn’t change these for any other. I feel like they’re indestructible, they have a great grip and in all the years I’ve been using them, they’ve never loosened or become wobbly. I'm actually pretty sure these are going to outlive me. Plus, they’re made by a Slovenian manufacturer Unior, and since I’m from Slovenia, I’m happy to support them.

Unfortunately, Unior doesn't seem to be selling these exact pliers to the US, to I would recommend these Knipex alternatives, which are of the same high quality: 

- Knipex large round-nose pliers
- Knipex large flat-nose pliers

CUTTERS

Of course, you’ll need something to cut the wire with. I use these Knipex cutters, which again weren’t originally made for wire-wrapping. But I love them because the cutting part is both small enough for precise cutting of the thin wires and strong enough to cut through two thick hard wires at once (if you’ve seen some of my tutorials, you may have noticed I tend to do that – cut through two wires at once I mean). And just like the Unior pliers, they won’t become wobbly after some time.

SMALL NOSE PLIERS

You’ll also need some Small nose pliers for the more precise shaping of the thin wires. I’ve shown you some really high quality tools so far, so you might be surprised that I bought these at the dollar store. And it shows. They used to have a spring mechanism so that they opened on their own, and that broke off a long time ago. Still, I somehow keep using them. They fit nicely in my hand and are the perfect size for my work. I guess they’re acceptable because I mostly use them on thin wires where you don’t need a strong tool.

MATERIALS

So those were the four basic tools that you’ll need to start your wrapping journey. And now let’s take a look at the different types of wire. To start off, you’ll need two different gauges. One thick, to use for the construction frame of your piece, and one thin, for binding the thick wires together and for creating intricate designs (such as a tree, for example).

I mostly use 1.2 mm (17 gauge) and 0.4 mm (26 gauge) wire for my work, especially for the larger pieces. For small items, I normally go with 1 mm (18 gauge) and 0.3 mm (28 gauge). I also use the 0.3 mm for wire crocheting, because it’s soft enough so that my fingers don’t become all red and sore by the time I’m finished with the project.

In terms of metal, my favorite type of wire is silver plated copper wire. I also love working with bare copper wire, but make sure you use the non-tarnish kind, so that the jewelry doesn't turn your skin green. Brass is also lovely because of the color. I use it mostly in my two-trees designs. Sterling silver is absolutely amazing, but quite pricy, so I don't get to use it that often. Every now and then, I'll use colored wire. I like that you can get any color imaginable, but you have to be quite careful not to chip away the paint with your tools. 

So these are all the tools an materials I work with. If you want to see all the things I make with them, you can visit my Etsy shop.

Tutorial: Wire-wrap leaf pendant with a gemstone

Here’s another video tutorial for you, this time for a leaf pedant. It’s a simple design, taken straight from nature. It’s also pretty easy to make, so it’s appropriate for beginners too.

You’ll need the following:

- 1.2 mm wire (17 gauge) 

- 0.4 mm wire (26 gauge) 

- gemstone cabochon (teardrop-shaped, with a flat back)

- wire-wrapping tools

Here’s the tutorial:

I hope you liked this video. There will be more to come, so make sure you follow me if you don’t want to miss them. And if you’re interested in seeing more of my creations, you can visit my Etsy shop.

Thank you for your support and have a great day.

My other tutorials:

- Wire-wrap tree ring

- Wire-wrap tree pendant

My top 5 favorite designs

If you’re a crafter, I bet you’ve made certain items that are more special to you than the rest. Maybe the piece was inspired by something or someone dear to you, or maybe it’s simply because it came out better than you’d envisioned in your head. Whatever the reason, we all have our favorites. Here are mine.

1. The Two Trees pendant

This simple twist on the traditional wire-wrap tree design marked the beginning of my ever more complicated fantasy-inspired jewelry. It was also my very first hit product. In fact, I’ve made over a hundred of these so far. This is when I learned that even a simple design can resonate with people when you draw inspiration from what you genuinely love, rather than just trying to make a pretty piece or copying others.

2. The tree-of-life crochet bracelet

I absolutely love this one and I wear it all the time. To me it’s the perfect combination of simplicity and intricacy. Since it’s just yarn and wire, it’s very light and perfect for every day. Plus, I like having an excuse to do some crocheting every now and then. 

3. The gemstone leaf pendant

If gemstones grew on trees, this is how I imagine they would look like. I’ve always loved drawing inspiration from nature, even as a child. Everything from making rings from flowers I picked in the back yard, to the pendant I made from an interesting seashell I found on our family vacation, nature’s designs have always fascinated me. Even something as simple as a leaf.

See also: Tutorial: Wire-wrap leaf pendant with a gemstone

4. The tiny tree pendant

This one is a bit different from the others, because the inspiration didn’t come from a book or nature, but from the stone itself. I was going through my inventory of labradorite gemstones, and this one caught my eye. I stared at it for a while and thought about a design that would best compliment the beautiful stone. I knew I didn’t want to cover it up with a standard wire-wrapped tree. Instead, I wanted the stone to be the main feature. But at the same time, it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t put some sort of element of nature in there. So I came up with the idea of just a tiny tree up in the corner and the rest of the stone left uncovered.

5. The fantasy necklace

Do you remember the first item on this list? Well, this is what that simple pendant gradually lead to. An intricate necklace that not only depicts the two trees, but tells their entire story. I normally like symmetry in my designs, so I like how the necklace turned out, having a different element on either side but still remaining symmetrical. 

If you like these items, there are plenty more to see in my Etsy shop. And if you're wondering how some of them are made, I'll be posting tutorials in the future, so make sure you follow this blog. 

My tutorials:

- Wire-wrap tree ring

- Wire-wrap leaf pendant

- Wire-wrap tree pendant

Tutorial: Wire-wrap tree-of-life ring with a gemstone

This is my very first full video tutorial. It is also my only full video tutorial at the moment, but don’t worry, I have plenty more planned.

It's a basic tree-of-life design, converted into a ring, rather than a conventional pendant. If you’ve wire-wrapped trees onto gemstones before, the ring will be easy for you to make. But even if you’re a complete beginner, you shouldn’t have too much trouble following this tutorial.

  You'll need the following:

- 1.2 mm wire (17 gauge)

    - 0.3 mm wire (28 gauge)

    - gemstone cabochon with a flat back

    - wire-wrapping tools


Here's the tutorial:

Please let me know if you liked this video in the comments bellow. Did you find the visuals and the instructions clear enough? I'm still learning how to make video tutorials, so I’ll appreciate any feedback you might give me.

And don’t forget to check out my Etsy shop for more of my work.

Thank you and have a great day!

My other tutorials:
- Wire-wrap leaf pendant
- Wire-wrap tree pendant