FINISH 14 LINKS IN ONE EVENING. Pearls Wire. Grade A necklace no matter the. grade of your pearls. by Cynthia B. Wuller

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1 beginner wirework FINISH 4 LINKS IN ONE EVENING Pearls Wire and on Any Budget Make a Grade A necklace no matter the grade of your pearls. by Cynthia B. Wuller W hether you use economical materials or splurge on gold wire and genuine pearls, these quick-to-create open links make for an easy, elegant necklace. With only 4 links, you don t need to empty your bank account to pair 4 spectacular pearls with just over 2 yd. (.9 m) total of sterling silver or gold-filled wire. If you re a beginner to wireworking and you need some low-pressure practice, or if you ve already maxed out your FCT-MW-067_03 jewelry-making budget, you can easily lower the cost even more. I chose inexpensive craft wire (after much experimentation, I ve decided that I prefer BeadSmith wire s strength for this design; other brands are too soft) and low-cost fresh-water pearls, and my necklace is certainly a stunner Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. facetjewelry.com

2 A B 2 Form the link bases. Cut in. (89 mm) pieces of 20-gauge (0.8 mm) wire. Grasp the center of one wire with chainnose pliers and bend the wire. Pinch the outside of the bend with chainnose pliers to form a tight U [2]. Open the U slightly and straighten the wire with chainnose pliers to form a V. The opening should be about in. (9.5 3 mm) wide [3]. Measure 3 8 in. (9.5 mm) from one of the ends of the wire, and make a perpendicular bend. Push the two wire ends together, and grip them tightly with roundnose pliers just above the bent wire. Grip the perpendicular wire with chainnose pliers [4], and wrap it two to three times around the straight wire. Repeat to make 3 more link bases. materials BeadSmith craft wire, silver: 20-gauge (0.8 mm), 52 2 in. (.3 m) 24-gauge (0.5 mm), 2 in. (53.3 cm) 4 7 mm pearls tools & supplies Pliers: chainnose, roundnose Wire cutters Hammer: chasing or planishing Bench block 3 5 Part : Links 4 6 You ll be making two types of links: A links and B links []. If, while you re working, any parts of your links become misshapen, reestablish angles and straighten sections by gently squeezing the straight sections with chainnose pliers. This will also work-harden the wire and make the links stronger. Form seven A links. Insert chainnose pliers into a link base, positioning the pliers two-thirds of the distance from the wrapped end, and then open your pliers to spread the wires. To create an angle, grip the wire firmly, positioning the edge of your pliers at the two-thirds point, and gently twist the wire against the pliers. Repeat on the other side of the link [5] to form a matching angle. Repeat with six other link bases to make seven total A links. Form seven B links. Repeat the previous step with the remaining seven link bases, but create the angles one-third, rather than two-thirds, of the distance from the wrapped end [6]. Form connecting loops on the links. On one link, grip the tip of the wire stem with roundnose pliers, and then roll the pliers over to form a plain loop. Position the loop perpendicular to the open diamond shape of the link. Repeat to make connecting loops on the remaining links. Hammer the links. Place a link on a bench block, with the wrapped section hanging just over the edge of the block. Lightly hammer the link to flatten and work-harden it, avoiding the wraps [7].

3 Don t hammer too much, or you may weaken your link. Turn the link around, and hammer the connecting loop, again making sure to avoid the wraps. Repeat to hammer the remaining links. Use wraps to attach a center wire. Cut 4 2 -in. (38 mm) pieces of 24-gauge (0.5 mm) wire. Leaving about 2 in. (3 mm) of excess wire, loosely wrap one wire three times around an angle on one of the links [8]. Close any gaps in the wraps by squeezing the wraps together with chainnose pliers NOTE: If you find it difficult to wrap the wire, cut the pieces slightly longer than 2 in. (38 mm). Add a pearl. Slide a pearl onto the center wire and into the center of the link. If your pearl isn t closely framed by the link, slide the wire wraps just off the angle, and use chainnose pliers to squeeze the sides of the link together [9]. When you re done making adjustments, slide the wraps back onto the angle. Complete the second set of wraps. Wrap the center wire around the opposite angle of the link by using chainnose pliers to carefully pull the center wire through the space between the link and the pearl [0]. Once you ve completed a wrap, pull the wire to tighten it []. Don t pull too hard or the link may bow. Pull the end of the center wire around the link one more time to make three complete wraps. Trim the ends of the center wire and refine the wraps. Trim the excess center wire, leaving just enough of a tail to fold to the back of the link. Use chainnose pliers to press the wire tails against the back of the link [2]. Close any gaps in the wraps by squeezing the ends of the wraps together with chainnose pliers [3]. To further secure the wraps to the link, use chainnose pliers to clamp down very hard on each set of wraps to flatten them [4]. If any gaps form between the wraps, squeeze them together again. Add pearls to the 3 remaining links.

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5 Part 2: Clasp Make the hook. Cut a 2-in. (5 mm) piece of 20-gauge (0.8 mm) wire. Measure 2 in. (3 mm) from one end and make a wrapped loop []. Use the tip of your roundnose pliers to start a small loop on the opposite end of the wire [2]. Squeeze the edges of the small loop with chainnose pliers to tighten the loop [3]. To create a slight spiral, grip across the loop with chainnose pliers, and continually push the wire against the edge of the loop as you rotate it [4]. Grip the wire with your roundnose pliers midway between the wrapped loop and the spiral. Push both ends over the pliers jaw until you ve formed a hook. For a nice shape, make sure that the spiral is above the wraps [5]. Hammer the hook to flatten and work-harden it, making sure to avoid the wraps [6]. Make the eye. Cut a 2-in. (38 mm) piece of 20-gauge (0.8 mm) wire. Grip the center of the wire with the larger end of your roundnose pliers. Pull both ends of the wire over the pliers jaw to form a U [7]. Cross the wires under the jaw. Straighten one end so it forms a stem for the loop, and wrap the other end around the stem, forming a wrapped loop [8]. Use roundnose pliers to make a plain loop with the stem. The plain loop should be perpendicular to the wrapped loop [9]. Using chainnose pliers, squeeze the sides of the large wrapped loop until it s shaped like an oval [0]. Straighten out the sides of the oval by squeezing the wires between the tips of your chainnose pliers []. Hammer the eye to flatten and work-harden it, making sure to avoid the wraps [2]. For your necklace, experiment with colorful freshwater pearls and gold-filled or sterling silver wire. Part 3: Assembly Assemble the necklace. Use chainnose pliers to twist open the loop of an A link. Slip the tip of a B link into the loop, and twist the open A link s loop closed with your chainnose pliers []. Repeat, alternating the links, until you ve connected all the links. Open the loop of the B link at the end of the chain, slide the hook s wrapped loop into it, and close it [2]. Attach the loop of the eye to the tip of the opposite end link. 2 Process photos by Cynthia Wuller.