Page 10        Beads & Jewelry Making Supplies by WigJig -- Jewelry Making for Beginner's

Jewelry Making using a WigJig Jewelry Tool

Many jewelry making projects begin by making a jewelry wire component on a WigJig or other jewelry tool.  Almost all jewelry wire components made on a jig, work better when starting the piece by placing a loop over a peg to fix one end of the wire.  In most pieces this initial loop will be part of the finished piece.  In some pieces, by contrast, you will need to cut the initial loop off after you complete wrapping the wire on the jig, as it won't be part of the finished piece. 

To make a jewelry wire wire component on a jig, begin by identifying the design you want to make and start by positioning the pegs in the jig as required to make the component.  A good design for a beginner is shown here.  Next, cut and straighten the jewelry wire.  One of the most important tips in being successful when making wire components is to concentrate on keeping the wire straight as you wrap it around the pegs to make the design.  You may need to remove pegs from the pattern and add them back in one at a time as necessary to help keep the wire straight as you wrap.  A helpful tip is to hold and guide the wire with constant tension in your dominant hand and rotate the jig with your non-dominant hand as you wrap the wire around the pegs.  Concentrate on keeping the wire straight with your dominant hand until it wraps around the pegs.

One last suggestion for jewelry making.  Plan on making at least three of each jewelry wire component to be made on the jig using inexpensive practice wire.   This is very important.  Make several practice pieces of each type wire component before you begin to use your good wire.  Plan on discarding these practice pieces.  Do not get discouraged if the first several pieces don't end up like the directions say they should.  This craft is like riding a bike.  It is a skill that must be learned.  Almost everyone can learn it, but almost no one is ready to ride in a bicycle race during their first ride on a bike. 

Using these simple jewelry making techniques, almost everyone can be successful in jewelry making using wire and beads.  You can find patterns for each type of jig in here. 

 Most, but not all of the jewelry supplies shown here can be purchased in our WigJig store.  We try to have a complete selection of jewelry supplies in our store including chain, wire, glass beads, findings, watches, tools, etc.