Making a Simple Wire-Wrapped Ring

The following is a video tutorial on how to make three types of wire-wrapped rings.  The explanation following the video only pertains to the first ring made in the video: a basic wire-wrapped ring. 

Materials Needed

1. A Ring Mandrel
2. Some Sort of Focal Bead
3. 2 Feet of 20 Gauge Wire
4. Chain-Nose Pliers or Crimping Pliers
5. Wire Cutters

Difficulty: Easy, Beginner

I bought my ring mandrel at my local Michael’s Craft store for $20.  However, you can buy them cheaper depending on the material used.  Auntiesbeads.com sells a cheap plastic one for $5 (it’s the same as the one used in the tutorial above), or if you prefer a wider variety, you can look through the different kinds at JewelrySupply.com that range from $5-$40.

For a focal bead, I chose a 20 mm flat glass bead.  In the video tutorial, she suggests using a 20 mm coin bead for the basic design ring.  One very important thing to remember is to make sure your wire will fit through the hole in your bead.  The first time I attempted to make a beaded ring with a large wire, I was unable to thread the bead onto the wire.

For the Wire, I used a 20 gauge silver-plated copper wire. In the video, she suggests using 20 Gauge or 18 Gauge if you’re comfortable with it.   She also suggests using 2.5 feet of wire in the video, but I’ve found that leaves about 8 inches leftover, and if you’re using Sterling Silver or Gold wire, that can get expensive.  I suggest cutting only 2 feet.

When wrapping around the Mandrel, I’ve found that not worrying about the wires crossing in the back actually makes a nicer-looking band.  Also, try to keep the band tight when taking the ring off the mandrel. 

When wire-wrapping around the band, I’ve found that it makes it much easier if you pinch the bead between your thumb and forefinger. 

Kinda like this --------------- >> 

Also, if you don’t feel like the wrap around the band is tight enough, you can use your chain-nose pliers to wrap instead of your fingers. 

This was my end-project.