Wrapping Loops

You will need:

Your choice of wire
Wire cutters
Round nosed pliers
Bent/flat nosed pliers

1. Start by bending the wire to a 90 degree angle so that you create an upside down L shape.

2. Hold the bend with your round nosed pliers, and use your fingers to wrap the wire around the nose of your pliers to form a loop.




3. Keep the round nosed pliers inside the loop, and hold the loop against the nose of the pliers with one finger. So, you should have your round nosed pliers in one hand with one finger pressing the loop against the nose. (I'm right handed, so I use my left hand to hold the pliers and my pointer finger to hold the loop against the nose.)

4. Using your other hand (in my case, my right hand), start to wrap the loose wire around the straight piece of wire that is directly under your loop. If the wire is soft, you can probably do this with your fingers. Otherwise, use a bent (of flat if you prefer) pair of pliers to hold the loose wire and wrap.

5. Continue to wrap as many times as you want, and if necessary, trim off excess wire.

6. Use your bent nosed pliers to press the wire wrapped end flat to make sure it doesn't stick our and scratch or poke the wearer of your jewelry.

7. If necessary, use your round nose pliers to straighten the loop.

A Few Tips:

• Be patient, and be prepared to practice. There is no way you will do this perfectly the first time. The more you do it, the better you will become.
• Be careful not to wrap too close to a bead if you are including one on the wire as it could crack the bead. Though some jewelry makers like to get their wrap as close as possible to the bead, I don't mind a little room, but this is personal preference.
• For beads with small holes, like pearls, you will need thin wire such as 24-28 gauge. Otherwise, 21 gauge seems to work will with most bead sizes.
• When making long, loop wrapped chains, instead of cutting lots of small pieces of wire for each loop, try using longer pieces (about a foot or so in length), and cutting the wire after each loop is made. This will keep wire waste down.

All graphics and lessons created by Tammy Powley.

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Loop Technique

Once you get the hang of this technique you can use it to help make earrings, dangles, pendants, Y necklaces, and many more jewelry projects. When I teach jewelry making classes, I often find that the most difficult part of any project we make seems to be when my students use round nose pliers to make the eye on a piece of wire or head pin. This seems to give people the most trouble. So, I’m going to attempt to explain how to do it. However, keep in mind, as in any technique that you haven’t done before, practice makes perfect. I don’t know how many times I’ve shown my students how to do it and then when they do it I hear, "It looked so easy when she did it." That’s because I’ve done it hundreds of times. Trust me; my first few attempts where very frustrating. In fact, I remember thinking, "I just paid $24 for these round nose pliers! I wasted my money." So, be patient and practice, practice, practice.

Now for the lesson. First, as I mentioned above you need a pair of round nose pliers. As with any other tools, there are the economy brands and the high end brands. If you make a lot of jewelry, I recommend spending a little more money and getting a pair that are German made, preferably with a small spring in between the handles.

First bend the wire at a 90 degree angle.

In this case I’m making an earring, so I recommend cutting the wire at this point. Obviously, the amount you cut depends on the size of the bead or beads on the head pin. In this case, I cut off about ½ inch. After you’re sure the part of the head pin that is bent is about ½ inches long, you’re ready to start using the round nose pliers to create the eye or circle at the end. In this case I’m making an earring, so I recommend cutting the wire at this point. Obviously, the amount you cut depends on the size of the bead or beads on the head pin. In this case, I cut off about ½ inch. After you’re sure the part of the head pin that is bent is about ½ inches long, you’re ready to start using the round nose pliers to create the eye or circle at the end.
Position the bent part of the head pin so it is facing away from you. Using the round nosed pliers, grasp the end of the bent head pin making sure the middle part of the plier’s nose is holding the pin.

Now that you have positioned your pliers correctly, slowing bend the wire towards you. The first bend will not complete the circle yet.

Now release and reposition your pliers on the circle you’ve started. Continue to bend it toward you until you’ve made a circle.

Now this earring is ready to have the ear hook put on and the eye or circle closed around it.
This is not the easiest technique to explain. But, I believe once you try it a few times you’ll perhaps find your own tricks to this technique. Though you don’t have to use this technique to make earrings and other pieces of jewelry, it really makes for a more finished look. Here’s a picture of an old earring I made many years ago before I knew how to do this. As you can see, the top of the earring is bent more flat because I used a pair of needle nosed pliers.

Now here is a newer earring I made using the round nose pliers and the technique I just explained. As you can see it looks more professional. Also, the bottom part of the earring move freely and this wouldn’t be as possible if I hadn’t made the eyes in the head pins.

All graphics and lessons created by Tammy Powley.

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