Copper wire jewelry. Wire Wrap style decorations. Wire techniques and tools

Key pendants made of wire with stones

Wire is a strong and pliable material that can take any shape. The unique properties of thin metal threads were successfully used by ancient jewelers who wove filigree patterns, creating amazingly beautiful jewelry. The material holds its shape well, has a noble shine, isn’t this a paradise for the modern jewelry industry? Modern craftsmen can, as if by magic, turn a coil of ordinary wire into spectacular and stylish accessories. Do you want to learn how to make exclusive wire jewelry with your own hands? Then we suggest you master the simple ABC of craftsmanship, and use the example of master classes to learn how to create real miracles.

Basics for beginners

The names of the ancient jewelers who successfully embodied their imagination in wire jewelry are unknown to their contemporaries. The art form “wire wrap,” which translated means “wire wrapping,” went down in history under the name of the craftsman Alexander Calder. The master learned to weave original products from an early age. He made his first crafts as gifts to family and friends, and later his unusual hobby turned into his life’s work. Original, original, openwork works inspired many to accomplish creative feats.

Alexander Calder and his work

The main principle of such needlework is to use thick wire for the base and thinner and more flexible wire for braiding products.

You can add beads, stones, and all kinds of decor to the weaving. By the way, if the wire is braided on top with a thin thread, then such needlework is called ganutel. To learn how to create beautiful wire accessories, you need to know a few simple secrets:

• Selection of tools. The job requires a small arsenal of tools. Beginners will need round nose pliers, several types of pliers with sharp, nylon, rectangular tips, a wick or sandpaper. To create complex interweaving patterns, experienced craftsmen use anvils, a hammer and a hammer, crossbars and a drawing board.
• So that in the end, homemade wire jewelry has, as they say, a “store-bought gloss,” you can use sulfur liver for coating. Products made from copper, aluminum, brass, bronze wire are patterned with this material to create a noble antique effect.
• It is enough to master the creation of several elements to make an original masterpiece. The simplest elements include a spring, balls and rings.

To make a spring, just wrap a piece of wire around the crossbar. Such an element can be used for braiding or as an independent decorative detail. To make a ball, you will need a burner or gas burner. To make the droplets perfectly even, you will need borax. By the way, you can create new interesting elements from a ball using a hammer and an anvil. Rings are connecting parts that are indispensable in creating beads or bracelets. It is enough to wind the wire around the crossbar, “bite off” the excess and remove a perfectly even ring. The diameter of the ring depends on the thickness of the crossbar. Having received the necessary knowledge, having prepared necessary tools and materials, you can begin the creative process.

Master classes on creating jewelry

Unusual jewelry from copper wire, bronze or brass, can take on a variety of shapes. For example, you can make original hair jewelry, rings and bracelets, openwork necklaces or pendants. Beginners should not worry about the lack of practice and experience in creative work; a simple and detailed master class will help in creating an original collection of luxury jewelry.

Hair ornaments

In anticipation graduation ceremonies such a master class is especially relevant, because many girls are in a creative search for their image. I want to be the brightest, most beautiful, exclusive. There is a sure way to create an unusual look by decorating your stylish hairstyle with a hand made hair clip in the shape of a flower with an elegant curl. The operating algorithm is as follows:

1. On a piece of paper, draw a sketch of the future product, schematically marking the location of the beads and the pattern on it.
2. We begin the work with a turn, smoothly moving to the outer circle of the product. Place the end in a spiral that is slightly higher. The result should be a round element with antennae. We use the pliers continuously to ensure that the product is neat.
3. We twist the place where the two curls touch with several more tight turns, weave in beads, and then we braid the base of the hairpin with thin wire.

To make it clearer for beginning craftswomen, we offer an auxiliary diagram:

• six curls between beads;
• ten curls between large elements;
• eight curls between smaller elements.

To make the hairpin delicate and have a finished look, we string small beads at the beginning of weaving, and large beads can be woven into the middle.

In a similar way, you can make not only a hairpin. There is an original way to decorate hairpins - simply braid them with a thin metal thread, adding a few beads or seed beads to the weave.

Luxurious pendant

Copper wire has high ductility, it can be easily cut, heated, and soldered. Thanks to its unique properties, the inexpensive and beautiful-looking material has become a favorite in handicrafts. What can you make from copper wire with your own hands? Yes, everything that your imagination suggests - bracelets, rings, pendants and much more. Luxurious wire pendant master class:

1. Let's prepare tools and materials. You will need a coil of copper wire with a cross-section from 0.1 mm to 1 mm, pearl beads, wire cutters, pliers and a drill.
2. The main part of the product consists of two pieces of 16 cm long and 1 mm thick. We make turns with a thin copper thread of 0.1 mm around the thicker sections, then bend the two braided parts into a ring. We bend the remaining ends into a snail shape.
3. We will wind it thinly onto a piece 0.3 mm thick, the length of the base is 12 cm. We will thread its end between the braided parts and fix it. We make a small break and wrap it around the frame several times.
4. We make the same break in the upper part, and wind the remaining part onto the base. We make a snail from wire 1 mm thick, wind it to one and the other break.
5. A thin wire thread is attached to the upper part, pearls are strung on it, the ends of the wires are braided around the workpiece, and the excess is bit off with wire cutters. So we add all the prepared beads.

To ensure that the product has an elegant glossy shine, we polish the surface of the pendant with a drill, and then rinse it under warm water. Luxurious, intricate, in the spirit of oriental jewelry of the Magnificent Century, the pendant is ready to decorate any lady’s outfit.

There are many master classes on making stylish wire jewelry, from which you can learn how to create magnificent designer collections. But a few simple tips will help beginners do the job at a decent level:

• To avoid patination of the wire, non-oxidizing materials should be used. For durability, you can coat the surface with varnish.
• After heating the wire over the fire, rub it while still warm with baby cream, and then wash it with soap and water. Patina is an effect that, as they say, is not for everyone. Many craftsmen prefer to coat jewelry with gold, silver or bronze paint, and top it with varnish for shine.
• Be sure to draw a diagram and sketch of the jewelry before starting work. Working with wire is thin and filigree, requiring attention and perseverance. When you see a wire decoration that you want to repeat with your own hands, mentally divide it into its components, this will make it easier to work with.

Each master has his own imagination, creative ideas and vision of the future masterpiece. All kinds of decor, such as beads, beads, stones and even buttons, are ideally combined with wire. Beginners can use ready-made master classes for practice, and during the weaving process they can supplement the idea with their own details.

Video master class on making earrings from copper wire with turquoise

Video master class on making a rainbow heart

Wire and its varieties can be used both in the manufacture of some decorative products and in independent form. Due to its flexibility, crafts made from this material are accessible even to schoolchildren, and the rich variety of types allows the imagination to run wild. We'll learn how to start making simple crafts using different types of wire.

Chenille wire animals

To determine which wire to use for a craft, you need to start from the age of the child taking part in the creative process and what you are going to do.

To create animals, fluffy colored wire is suitable, which children like younger age, it is flexible and not brittle. Start by forming a small ball at the end of the wire, then wrap the next section around a pen or marker and continue as a squiggle tail, pulling out the stationery.

Cut two small pieces and bend them at the ends of the legs, then attach them to the body. The color and shape of the figure will determine the type of animal; stick eyes on the muzzle. You can make plastic people and other interesting things from this funny wire.

Copper wire horse

Cut two pieces of wire, one longer than the other. The short one will serve as the legs when we bend it at an angle, and the long one will take on the topography of the horse, including the side of the head.

We wrap the entire body of the horse with wire in a colored sheath, ring to ring, close to each other. In the areas of the hooves, the wire is wound repeatedly in a thick layer so that the animal is stable. Using the same principle, you can make other animals by finding photos of crafts on the Internet.

Flower

This DIY wire craft is original and not as simple as the previous ones. First, a paste is made from starch and cotton pads are dipped into it.

After drying, we paint, cut out the petals and fasten several pieces together, highlighting the core with yellow and white paint, which will then be occupied by a piece of cotton wool. A stem is made from wire, wrapped with green tape or tape, leaves are added and secured to the flower.

Tree

Using pliers, solid wire and beads you can create amazing jewelry. Having twisted several pieces of thick wire into a spiral trunk, we take them out into graceful branches. They can intertwine with each other, and then grow separately, giving the tree a spreading appearance.

Red fruit beads appear in the loops, oblong green bugle beads cover the strong branches with thick foliage. It is important to firmly strengthen the rhizome of the tree in a flowerpot with pebbles.

Oil burner

This specimen is not the lightest, but it is the most functional; we will try to tell you detailed instructions on how to produce a useful item from wire.

We bend a circle from thick wire and solder its ends with a soldering iron. On this base we solder five equal pieces of medium-thick wire at equal distances and bend it slightly in the middle. Then we bring the ends together to one point and solder them to the base of the floor lamp, a circle made of thick wire.

From a metal plate we make a bowl and a side with an indentation of zero point five millimeters. Now, for the upper part, we make four squares of different sizes from medium-thick wire, and cut four identical pieces from the same wire.

Solder a short piece of wire at an angle to the largest square, a slightly smaller square onto it, and so on. We make a circle from the middle wire, and attach it to the last smallest square on the legs from the same wire.

We cover all parts of the lamp with silver spray paint. Then we pass thin copper wire along the entire body of the floor lamp and weave beautiful large beads into the pattern, at the same time connecting the two parts.

Vase

Take a wire that is not too thick and elastic and a deep plate. Attach one end of the wire to the bottom of the container and begin to wrap around the outside of the container. This can be done either chaotically or by pursuing a special pattern.

After the entire outside of the plate is covered with wire, secure the other end with the first by twisting them together several times and masking the knot between adjacent lines. Remove the plate and line the resulting fruit and sweets bowl.

Figures and decorations

By twisting thick wire with round-nose pliers, you can create a mysterious frame for unusual bottles, jugs or vases. Also fascinating are the decorations made of copper wire, which seem to be held in the paws gems, wrapping your hand around your wrist, finger or ear like a snake.

Such handmade jewelry is filled with pleasant energy and will always be an exclusive addition to your look.

Trees, animals, mythical creatures, abstract figures can become holders for jewelry and jewelry, keys, business cards, tools and gadgets, and making crafts from wire will become a favorite pastime for children and adults, if you do not limit your imagination and use your favorite images.

Photos of wire crafts

You can make it from wire interesting crafts(flowers, trees, bracelets, brooches, beads, etc.), which will serve as a wonderful decoration for the interior. Even a preschool child can make simple wire products.

For home handicrafts and crafts with children, copper wire is used, which is very soft and flexible. Candlesticks, vases, brooches, etc. can also be made from this type of wire.

Handicrafts help develop children's attention and fine motor skills, as well as distract and calm the nervous system. The child receives a lot of positive emotions in the process of creative activity.

Craft wire can be purchased at a craft store or online.

Tools

To make wire products you will need the following tools:

• tongs that have round ends;
• wire cutters;
• copper wire;
• materials for decorative finishing (beads, all kinds of stones for decoration).

It is very popular to make crafts from fluffy wire, which is a flexible wire wrapped in lint. You can make a lot of different crafts from it. The products turn out beautiful.

You can purchase this type of wire online or in any bookstore. Products made from fluffy wire can be of two types:

• flat products;
• volumetric products.

Chenille (fluffy) wire was invented for cleaning smoking pipes.

Christmas tree

To make a Christmas tree you need to take a shaggy green wire and twist it into a cone, in the direction of the spiral. It is necessary to gradually reduce the size of the circle.

Using a similar pattern (in the form of a spiral), you can also make a caterpillar, snake, snail and other animals.

This is an excellent option, for example, for crafts for kindergarten, since it does not require special skills and time for busy mothers.

Spider

Another great wire craft is, for example, a fluffy spider. To make it, you need to twist four wires of the same color and the same size into the shape of an insect and decorate it with beads.

Egg

You can make an original Easter egg from wire. To do this, you need to take a wooden blank for an Easter egg and spread glue around the perimeter. After which you must immediately very carefully wrap the wire around the egg in one layer so that there are no gaps.

Little children love to make animals and people from fluffy wire, which will later become their favorite toy.

Regular office glue is suitable for gluing parts made of shaggy wire.

Crafts made from copper wire

In addition to fluffy wire, copper wire is also used for crafts, with which the frame of the product is made, and beads, beads, etc. are strung.

Crafts made from wire and beads are very popular. The production of such crafts takes place in several stages:

• Making the frame of the product from wire (the diameter of the wire must correspond to the diameter of the bead hole);
• Beads are strung onto the frame of the craft. (The beads must be the same in color and shape. The beads can be collected by hand or using a spinner);
• Using wire scraps, all parts of the product are connected.

Beads add originality and unusualness to any product. Czech beads are considered the best beads for crafts. Using beads and wire, you can make various costume jewelry, “money trees,” interior flowers, etc.

It is believed that the “money tree” serves as a talisman to attract wealth and well-being in the home. Therefore, it is very popular in people's interiors.

To make a tree you will need a small pot, beads and thin flexible wire (for example, copper).

It is necessary to cut the wire to the same length and thickness. Then you need to intertwine the wire parts together, leaving some for the branches. You need to apply beads to the branches of the tree. Secure the lower part of the money tree using some kind of base, or using a small flower pot.

Candlesticks, vases, brooches, etc. are also made from copper wire.

On the Internet there are a large number of different diagrams and photos of wire crafts that will greatly help beginning needlewomen.

In order to make crafts from wire, as in any type of needlework, you need to have patience and endurance. Only in this case will the products reward their creator with beauty and attractiveness, originality and uniqueness.

The soul of a person is put into every handmade product.

Photos of wire crafts

The copper key will become mysterious and original decoration, which will perfectly complement an image in a steampunk or boho style, and can also be used as an interior accessory.

In order to make such a key with your own hands, we will need:

• copper wire: 2 pieces about 40 centimeters long, thick (1.2 mm in diameter) and very thin;
• a flat small bead, about a centimeter long;
• pliers;
• small vise or clamp;
• anvil (you can take any metal block, for me it’s actually a part from a dumbbell);
• hammer.

Making a key from copper wire

First we create the top part of our key. We take the thicker wire, combine the ends and bend it like a fish.

Pull the ends until the loop shrinks to about 1.5 cm in length.

Now you need to make the side loops. Holding the place where the wire crosses, draw one of the tails of the wire in a circle and tighten the loop to the desired size (about 1 cm in length).

We do the same with the second tail. I just do this with my hands, the copper wire is quite soft. But if it seems difficult, you can always help yourself by grabbing the tail with pliers.

The procedure must be repeated on both sides again, resulting in five loops. We place our workpiece on the anvil and start hammering.

You don’t need to hit too hard, the main thing is to keep the hammer level so that it doesn’t hit the edge and leave unsightly dents on the workpiece. The ends of the loops can be flattened more strongly, but where the wire crosses, it is important not to overdo it so that it does not break.
This is roughly what it should look like.

Cunning: You can beat the workpiece only on the side that will then be the wrong side. Then the front will turn out smooth and even.

We clamp the workpiece in a vice so that the ends stick out, and begin to twist them together.

We twist it to the place where the key bit will be (about 3 cm). Then we bend one of the ends at a right angle, and straighten the other down.

Having retreated about 2.5 cm, we grab the lower end with pliers and begin to bend it.

Bend it all the way and press it tighter with pliers.

Again we clamp the key in a vice, trying to press both the bent end and the twisted part.

Now we grab the end of the resulting loop with pliers and twist it, and then bend the remaining tail parallel to the second one.

We cut it to an equal length and carefully give it a rounded shape with pliers.

And again we put it on the anvil and hit it with a hammer. The very tip of the key and the beard can be flattened more, but we try not to overdo it with the rest.

All that remains is to attach the bead. Take a thin wire and cut it in half. We pass both pieces through the bead and place it in the center of the upper part of the key.

Now you need every tip thin wire wrap around thick wire 2-3 times. To get rid of protruding tails, we bend the wires several times at the very base, and they break off neatly.
Ready! You can hang it on a cord or chain and wear it with pleasure.

Nothing decorates a woman's suit more than unusual jewelry, chosen with taste and in the right place. Meet the Wire Wrap style, wire jewelry. Yes, yes, from wire, albeit jewelry wire: copper, aluminum, brass, silver-plated, gold-plated. Unique hand-made products are created in a single copy. Any other jeweler is unable to reproduce exactly the original piece of jewelry; it will be just a copy.

Quite often, a craftsman working in the Wire Wrap technique is asked the same question: “Why was a metal such as copper chosen? Brass alloy? Masterpieces self made are created from the simplest materials, something completely different is important in the finished product: the original essence of the jewelry, its energy, positivity, which helps the owner move through life, attracting the attention of others. The direct translation of the Wire Wrap technique means “wire wrapping,” but the ultimate goal of creating a unique product is rarity and originality.

To make a bracelet, ring, necklace or earrings, the author needs to have such serious skills in working with metal as firing, soldering, blackening, patination, and so on. The creator of jewelry works not with a needle, like an embroiderer, or with knitting needles, like a knitter, but with wire cutters, pliers, and a hammer. Serious preparation for the process “produces” such rare products.

In its beauty, jewelry in the Wire Wrap style can easily compete with other representatives of fine hand made jewelry - items made of beads, felt, and stone.

It all started with the idea of ​​a sculptor, artist, engraver and handicrafts master, American Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976), who hails from the city of Lawnton, Pennsylvania (USA). During his life, the author created one thousand eight hundred jewelry in the Wire Wrap style, inserting pieces of ceramics, wood, glass, and leather into copper and brass wire. At first, Alexander gave jewelry to his friends and family. Much later, he became a famous sculptor and created his unique Cirque Calder collection of wire and fabric, which now adorns the halls of the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

His Wire Wrap style jewelry was worn by many celebrities with pleasure, and with his mobile sculptures, “mobiles” that easily changed poses when shown to viewers, he entered art history forever.

Wire Wrap Design - a real find for daring fashionistas, since no other piece of jewelry provides such scope for imagination and self-expression. Unusual forms of jewelry and their bulkiness emphasize courage, sometimes a challenge to society, shockingness. When in contact with the skin, metal wire has a beneficial effect: the properties of copper to increase immunity by affecting the endocrine glands have been known since ancient times. Humanity has been informed about the benefits of gold and silver for a very long time: these precious metals prevent blockage of veins and increase blood microcirculation, have bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties. That is why wire jewelry is not only beautiful, but also healing.

Hand-made products in the style of Wire Wrap is not just a tribute to capricious fashion, which quickly changes its vector. Jewelry made of metal wire, created by the founder of a new trend in the art of creating style, Alexander Calder, for his beloved wife Louise, today costs millions of dollars at auctions and adorns expensive private collections.

The article was prepared by Zhanna Pyatirikova.