According to Wikipedia, wire wrapping one of the oldest techniques for jewelry making, going as far back as 2,000 BC. Holy shit that's old! It's not usually used in jewelry that is mass produced, more of a handcrafted one. Thank god, cuz I like my individuality.
In it's simplest explanation, wire wrapping is the technique of wrapping wire around itself or another component, to create a cold connection. Which is connecting two components together without using heat to melt them together. Threading a bead onto a head pin and then wrapping a loop at the top is considered the simplest wire wrapping technique. But there is also some insanely intricate designs that can also include wire weaving, meaning wrapping multiple wires around each other in different stitches like double ladder stitch, zig zag, double overlay, stitched weave and the brick stitch, and then wrapping that around a component. THD pieces fall somewhere in the middle, but a bit closer to the simpler side. I like my jewelry to be as easy as I like my life. Effortlessly casual everyday jewelry for every woman.
I took some cool jewel toned beads and wrapped them around the wire frame/component and then wire wrapped a bead dangle and hung it from the middle. Pretty straight forward, but the necklace is so colorful and versatile, you can wear it with almost anything. So easy to wear with your whole closet.
Some artists will wire weave patterns together and then use that as the setting for stones. And they are super beautiful pieces, they just aren't my jam. I prefer simple effortless pieces that can be worn multiple ways. There are so many different ways you use wire wrapping in jewelry making. You can create your own head pins, with different "heads". you can flatten the end to look like a paddle (which always comes out better when someone else does it, mine are wonky), you can bend it into a loop, swirl or snake shape. You can wrap gemstones around wire, or set gemstones, you can wrap two pieces of metal together, anything you can dream up. You can form the wire into shapes, letters, animals, swirls, so many things!
The type of wire you use is important, it comes in soft, half hard and hard ( Ha, dirty minds will have fun with that sentence ). Most things you read online will tell you to use half hard, but I use soft wire in my pieces as it tends to kink less. It also comes in different shapes, round, half round, square, triangular etc...
There are also certain tools that work well for wire wrapping. Certain pliers, round nose, flat nose or chain nose, otherwise known as bent nose pliers, wire cutters, hammers, files etc... will all make your piece look so much more polished. Some people use nylon jaw pliers, which are flat nose pliers with nylon instead of steel for less marring of the wire. Plus anvils or bench blocks for hammering and work hardening. Some use a pin vise to twist wire, a cup bur to smooth out the ends. And so many more. Again THD jewelry is more understated and simple, easy effortless jewelry to elevate the everyday, just the way I like it. I hope you do too?? Happiness you can wear.
These are one of my best sellers, it's a simple design, but so stunning and sparkly when worn.
Seeing this isn't necessarily a wire wrapping tutorial, more of a get to know blog post, I'm going to end here. I hope that gives you a bit of insight into THD pieces, if you have any questions, please contact me. I love to chat about wire wrapping.
Be on the lookout for some new winter pieces that are coming next month. I hope you have a great day, I will be over here wrapping some wire.
Talk to you soon,
Traci
PS: I will be having a big sale for Cyber Week for my insiders only, so get on my list to save yourself some holiday shopping hassle!
