3 Stars Jewelry Wire Necklace & Earrings Jewelry Making Project -- Page 2

We will begin by making the Bottom Wire Component link in the necklace and the earring wire component.  This is the smallest and easiest to make wire component.  Because this wire component is more complicated to make than many other wire components made on our jigs, we are going to provide a detailed pattern sheet for making this component.  Please select here to view and print our Adobe Acrobat formatted template for making this Bottom Wire Component.  Please print this sheet to see where to place your pegs in your WigJig Cyclops.  This wire component uses 12 regular metal pegs. 

Step 1:  Using your nylon jaw pliers, straighten a segment of 20 gauge wire about 8 inches long.  (This amount is a rough approximation.  Use 8 inches of practice wire and measure the amount of excess wire you cut off.  Your goal is to have 1/2" of excess wire.)  For this wire component 1/2 hard wire will help to make the finished shape more consistently. 

Step 2:  Cut the 8" segment of wire using your flush cutter.   

Step 3:  Using your round nose pliers or step jaw pliers if you have them, make a "p" loop in the end of the wire with the flush cut. 

Step 4:  Place the loop in the wire on peg 1 in the template and wrap the wire around the pegs in turn.  Use the Spacer Press to push the wire down where there isn't room for your fingers between the pegs.  (It is easier to wrap the wire consistently when you start with two pegs and add a peg as you go.  Unfortunately, with a complex pattern like this one, it may be slightly more difficult to remember where the next peg goes in the pattern.  This is a case where each individual will have to determine whether the complexity of the pattern out-weighs the the advantages of consistency to be gained by starting with just 2 pegs.  By printing the template, you may find that it is easy to place the jig on the template and view where to place the next peg in the pattern that way.)  Please see the two pictures left and right for the steps in wrapping this wire component.  One way to help determine where to wrap your wire is that the wire always wraps around the side of the next peg that is further away from the current peg first. 

Step 5:  After you have completed wrapping the wire, remove the wire from your jig and cut the excess wire.  Please note that for this component, peg 1 is the first and last peg in the pattern.