You may be familiar with basic wire wrapping, but did you know that you can add a lot of style to your designs with some simple, decorative techniques? In this Beading Lesson, we’ll show you how to make fun jewelry with wire-wrapped beads.

Decorative wire wraps can be made with any type of shaping wire, from sterling silver to plated wire to enamel coated copper wire. The diameter you choose will be based on the bead hole size and the overall look you want the finished piece to have. You'll also need round nose pliers, chain nose pliers and wire cutters.

To make basic decorative wire wraps, cut a piece of wire that is 3-6" long. Make a wrapped loop close to one end of the wire. Pass the wire through the bead and make a loop. Wrap the extra wire around the base of the loop and downward around the bead. Fasten it to the other end by making a loop around the base of the opposite loop. You can tighten the wire and make an extra decorative flourish by placing the tip of your pliers on the wire and twisting.

There are several simple variations of this basic technique. For a criss-cross pattern, begin as for the above decorative wire wrap, but cross the wires on the surface of the bead by wrapping around the opposite end of the bead and back. Fasten the wire by wrapping the wire around the base of the loop.

To make a loop on the surface of the bead, begin as for the basic wire wrap. As you bring the wire across the surface of the bead, grasp it in the jaws of round nose pliers and make a small loop. Bring the wire to the opposite end of the bead and wrap it around the base of the loop to secure it.

To make decorative drops, use round nose pliers to make a loop on the end of a piece of wire. Hold the loop inside chain nose pliers and turn your wrist to form a spiral. Bend the wire in a right angle, add a bead, and make a wrapped loop. Continue wrapping the wire onto the surface of the bead to create a bead cap.

Links:
Shaping wires http://www.beadalon.com/shapingwires.asp
Wire wrapped bracelet http://www.beadalon.com/wirewrap.asp

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