Beading Merries and Mishaps by Cece

[Pareltje]

You got the skills! The ring is pretty ​​​​​

 

[multichrome]

Thank you, Cathy and Charlotta! I wore it all last night, and it’s comfortable, too. The wire for the ring part is 18 gauge, Charlotta. I had the pearls drilled with an .9mm hole, and I used 24 gauge for the wrapping. I’m looking forward to making another with a silvery oval SSP and Argentium wire.

I can’t believe the first one turned out so well, but I did a lot of planning for such a simple thing. I guess that worked. I did a small drawing, I measured my finger, I measured the pearl, I measured the wire (and cut it a little longer than needed). I also used a mandrel to make sure the ring part was very circular. Ok, I am a nerd, giving all this detail. Thank you again for your kind comments!

 

[TriciaS]

What a handsome ring, Multichrome. You did a fantastic job with it. Is the pearl fixed, or can you have fun spinning it on your finger?

 

[multichrome]

Thank you, Tricia! It spins. I really like that I can see all the features of a particular pearl that way. I’ve been wearing the ring all morning!

Y’all, I hadn’t done anything with wire in a long time, and I was afraid I’d forgotten how. But now that my toolkit is out again, it’s staying out for a while. I’ll practice wraps for my planned SSP bracelet today.

What a handsome ring, Multichrome. You did a fantastic job with it. Is the pearl fixed, or can you have fun spinning it on your finger?

 

[Charlotta]

Thank you multichrome. I have to get some 18 gauge wire then. Something to play with for my holidays in August.

 

[CortezPearls]

It is a very attractive ring! It looks simple but elegant...eyes resting on the beautiful SSP. For a first try it sure looks like made by a Pro

 

[multichrome]

Charlotta, I hope you have a lot of fun with your 18 gauge wire! Let me know if you have any questions about how I put the ring together.

Douglas, that is a very kind thing to say. It really is my feeling that certain gems can speak for themselves, and just need a setting to glow in. I’d done wire wrapping in the past, but I hadn’t really kept up my skills. I’m ready to try wrapping the pearls for my new SSP bracelet, though. The reward is getting to wear them!

 

[multichrome]

Since this thread already exists, I thought I would keep using it for my projects. Recently I’m motivated to redo some of my older pieces that I made when I was learning to knot and use wire. Also I want to create with loose pearls from my stash.

Last night I felt like working with wire, and I also have a new tool that I wanted to learn to use. A few weeks ago I saw this Beadsmith tool that reputedly creates consistently-sized loops in one step. It has a learning curve (I watched instructional videos), but now I’ve mostly got the hang of it. I bought the middle size that creates loops with an inside diameter (ID) of 2.25mm. I found generally that this size works great with 20-22ga wire and beads or pearls 8mm or bigger. I just wanted proof of concept, and to practice with craft wire before I got out my good wire. It went well, so I hooked up the looped pearls with some jump rings I had handy, and added a toggle clasp. I’m pleased with the general design. Now I want to go through my SSPs again and choose the 8 I like most and redo the piece with gold-filled wire.

I know these loops are not wrapped, but considering how fast I was able to do them and how consistent they are, I’m pleased. I’m going to wear the bracelet around and see how I feel about it before I redo with the good wire.

I can recommend the looping tool if you like my result. I believe there’s a way to start a loop with the tool to wrap more securely later. Maybe this is more of a tool review than a beading story, but I thought it might be of interest, especially for anyone who wants to give their hands a break when working with wire. Thanks for reading!

 

[CathyKeshi]

That's really interesting, thanks for postiing multichrome. As a person who's brain loves wire wrapping and loops, but who's hands don't love it, or me when I try ... looks worth investigating!

 

[BWeaves]

Fascinating. I've tried working with wire, and I don't enjoy it. Yarn is my thing. I'm a weaver. But I love tin-cups and I'm always impressed with everyone who makes tin-cups.

 

[multichrome]

That's really interesting, thanks for postiing multichrome. As a person who's brain loves wire wrapping and loops, but who's hands don't love it, or me when I try ... looks worth investigating

That’s the best thing about the tool. When the bead and the wire are placed correctly, the action of the tool is completely smooth and low-effort. I watched a number of videos, went through a lot of craft wire, damaged a bead or two, but that’s what it took for me to get the process right! I’m going to get the smaller size so I can work with smaller beads. I made some earrings that I was happy with, but the mid-size tool was really too big to use with the 4mm beads. The earrings are made with Miyuki cube beads and some tiny, very white Akoyas from my stash.

 

[multichrome]

I ordered the smaller tool today, because I want to make a bracelet with the little akoyas and the bright cubes. I guess I sold it to myself If anyone sees this, buys the looper tool, and wants help or links to good videos or tutorials, let me know! I started with head pins, btw. When the position of bead and wire is lined up well, the action of the pliers is effortless and smooth. Craft wire worked well. Use scrap wire to practice!

 

[pattye]

Your loops turned out beautifully plus glowing pearls! I've never paid much attention to that tool, but I may have to consider it. Can you wrap too if it's used?

 

[multichrome]

Your loops turned out beautifully plus glowing pearls! I've never paid much attention to that tool, but I may have to consider it. Can you wrap too if it's used?

Since it trims the wire at the same time the loop is made, I think it is really meant for simple loops. I wish it did, though! If I run across anyone starting wrapped loops successfully with this tool, I’ll post again with the link. I do like these stepped pliers for making consistent loops, which I can wrap afterward. Then I don’t have to mark my round nose pliers with a sharpie or guess if the second loop will match the first.

 

[multichrome]

Seeing all the beautiful strands in the “Pearls In Action” thread always makes me want to go through my stash of loose pearls. I’m also reorganizing and acquiring more fabric pouches and rolls to store them in, so they don’t lose moisture. These small Tahitians have been in my stash for a while. They’re 8.5-10.5mm, so they’re truly small, as Tahitians go. (If they seem familiar, I’ve posted them before, when I purchased them in 2020.) I think they don’t want to languish anymore, and would make a nice necklace. Now to ponder the fun possibilities. I have some lovely thread colors to choose from if I want to knot them, and I also have nice wire . . . Thanks for looking!

 

[multichrome]

In addition to the Tahitians, I’ve found other pretty things in my pearl stash that I’d forgotten about. I’d not even washed the drill dust off these freshwater keshi. So they had a bath and then they showed their stuff They have some lovely orient—flashes of pink and blue. In the photos, some appear to be more white, and others seem more silvery, which was not super evident with the naked eye. Seeing @Wednesday ’s skills makes me want to string them rather than wire wrap them. As they’re in the 6-7mm range, with small holes, thread would work better anyway. I have some shell, baby pink, sky blue, and candy pink Serafil. If I can manage attractive knots (I need to brush up on my skills), a bright thread color could be very pretty between the lustrous keshi. Hmm hmm. Thank you for letting me think out loud!

 

[CortezPearls]

In addition to the Tahitians, I’ve found other pretty things in my pearl stash that I’d forgotten about. I’d not even washed the drill dust off these freshwater keshi. So they had a bath and then they showed their stuff They have some lovely orient—flashes of pink and blue. In the photos, some appear to be more white, and others seem more silvery, which was not super evident with the naked eye. Seeing @Wednesday ’s skills makes me want to string them rather than wire wrap them. As they’re in the 6-7mm range, with small holes, thread would work better anyway. I have some shell, baby pink, sky blue, and candy pink Serafil. If I can manage attractive knots (I need to brush up on my skills), a bright thread color could be very pretty between the lustrous keshi. Hmm hmm. Thank you for letting me think out loud!

Hoping to see what comes out of these! Plenty of potential there!

 

[multichrome]

Hoping to see what comes out of these! Plenty of potential there!

Thank you for the encouragement! I think they want to look sassy and be worn!