Well, it's been a while since I posted my first free tutorial, and I thought now would be a good time to post another. This super-simple ring is the perfect starting point for learning to make all kinds of more elaborate wire wrapped rings. After you've perfected this one, start experimenting with variations - different metals, adding beads and stones, etc. - and show me what you come up with!
(Sorry for the somewhat blurry photos; the weather was icky this morning so I photographed inside, and they did not turn out well.)
You will need:
- flat-nosed pliers
- wire cutters
- 12" of 22-gauge dead-soft sterling silver wire (or more for an extra large sized ring)
- a ring mandrel, or if you don't have one, something that is round and finger-sized, like maybe a wooden dowel or a fat pen
1. Cut a 12" length of wire from your spool.
2. Position the wire on your ring mandrel at about 1/2 to 3/4 of a size larger than what you would like your finished ring to be.
3. Wrap the wire around the mandrel three times, ending with roughly equal lengths of wire sticking out to either side.
4. Cross the wires, keeping tension on the wire to keep all three loops tight against the mandrel.
5. Begin to wrap the wires in a circular direction. Don't twist them; just guide them around the center of the rosette in a circular manner.
6. Continue wrapping until you are happy with the look of the rosette, or until you have 1 to 1-1/2 inches of wire left on each end.
7. Wrap each wire around the ring shank several times.
8. Trim the ends of the wire close to the ring band.
9. Using your flat-nosed pliers, gently press the ends down flat against the band.
10. Slide the finished ring back down onto the ring mandrel as far as it will go to make sure it is as round as possible, and to help even out the three wires that make up the band in case they got a little uneven during the process.
You can either leave the ring shiny, or oxidize and polish it to bring out the details. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial; please let me know if anything is unclear and I'll do my best to clarify!
Tamara - thanks so much! I made my first earwires using the tutorial you posted earlier, it's just so generous of you to share these things with those of us who haven't tried them yet.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate it!!
Thanks!!
Cool!! I've never made a ring but have always wanted to. I just might have to go try this!! Thank you so much!!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for sharing this tutorial with us. I now have to go get some wire to try this ring and also the ear wires you made on your first tutorial. Can't wait!
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
oh wow! Thanks for posting this, Tamara!
ReplyDeleteI received my Sampler yesterday, and your wire wrapped ring with swarovski simulated pearl was my favorite thing in there! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLisa Chouinard
Thanks for sharing this, I totally want to try this! Do you have any idea how much one of those ring mandrels cost?
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great tutorial. Thanks for taking the time to show us how you do it. It's inspiring to see how you did it.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lisa (feto)! I'm so glad you like it. :-)
ReplyDeleteSara, I'm not sure, but I would think around $20 for a ring mandrel? Try jewelrysupply.com, firemountaingems.com, riogrande.com, or artbeads.com.
ReplyDeletethank you. i am going to try to find coloured wire to make it unique
ReplyDeleteVery Very cool! Thank you for posting and with pictures as well!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Ring also! Great job!
Melanie
Great tutorial! I will have to try this one. Thanks.
ReplyDeletehello! i just tried making your amazing rosette ring. It's turned out beautiful. Thank you!! it's so helpful with pictures too..
ReplyDeleteOkay, I just tried to make this and mine came out so sad. It was just a practice one, I don't have a ring mandrel so I used the same sharpie as in the ear wires and I can't even get the ring over my pinkie nail! I had a hard time wraping the wire around the band so I have to keep practicing. However the middle does look like a rose. Any tips on wrapping around the band?
ReplyDeleteRoni, what exactly was hard for you? Did the wires that make up the band get messed up? Once you take it of the mandrel, you really have to hold those guys steady so they don't all end up different diameters. Or was your wire too stiff so it was hard to wrap it around? It does work best with dead soft wire. Let me know if I can help any more...
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! Thanks for shareing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this with us! I have been posting jewelry listings on Etsy since November, but I haven't made any rings yet. I would love to try this!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the tutorial. I have been trying to find a wire wrapping tutorial for making rings for ages that i didnt have to pay for. myself and my fellow members tip our hats to you for spreading knowlege out of your own charity.
ReplyDeleteKnowlege is free
-Trifoil
Hi Lisa! Just found you today thru Jean's blog - I made the ring, my first, and it is so cute!!! I'm a big girl and this tiny little ring is kinda lost on me, but I'm wearing it anyway :) and will make another one with maybe 20ga wire. Excellent tute - thank you!
ReplyDeleteGreat tutorial! thanks alot I will try doing soon... hope see more
ReplyDeleteThank you for the generous tutorial! I've been trying to make rings from some shanked vintage buttons, and your method will help me make them look a lot neater.
ReplyDeleteI'm late seeing this but I still wanted to say thank you for posting this ....very fun. I made my first out of copper and after I have it down perfect I'll try silver!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!!! This is so cool that I had to try it as soon as possible. I couldn't wait to even get the wire, so I substituted it with a paper clip instead. The paper clip only was able to wrap around once since there wasn't much, but I was able to make a rendition. Although the design is a bit more crude since the paper clip is a bit hard to twist. Can't wait to get some wire to really try it out. But for now, I'm happy with how my paper clip ring turned out. It even looks a bit like yours... although not as cool! ^_^
ReplyDeletethis is a really cool ring
ReplyDeleteReally cool tutorial!
ReplyDeleteThe end product is beautiful
Thanks for this!
How pretty! I can't wait to try this. Thanks for the tut
ReplyDeleteWonderful work ! I admire your creations ;-)
ReplyDeletegreat tutorial, thank you for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this tutorial. I love the ring and I immediately went and made three with copper wire. The first was plain wire and the next two I added a small bead to the center for a really nice accent!
ReplyDeleteThat is so pretty and simple. Thanks for the tutorial.
ReplyDeleteWasn't sure about the size, as not sure about my ring size so I ended up with a rather large ring, but it fits my big toe fantastically!!!
ReplyDeleteNeed to keep working on the rosette a bit more but I'm sure I'll pick it up quickly. Thank you for a beautiful toe ring, now to make one for each of my sister-in-laws who are both hippies one's 18 and other 21 and both very hipp-ish, so this will be something they'll love knowing they love toe rings :)
Blessed be,
Gray (Simon's partner using his account)
xxxx
When I found this design, I thought it looked good and easy enough for me to attempt it. I wasn't disappointed.
ReplyDeleteI made seven for some girls I know, and they loved them. $25 got me 10 ft. of silver wire, and I didn't want to spend another $25 for a ring mandrel, so I looked around my house for some other things I could use. For about a size 6 ring, I used a Mini Mag flashlight. For about a size 4.5 ring, I used a AA battery.
Thanks for the instructions, and for scoring me some big V'day points.
I made this when I saw the instructions. It is absolutely adorable! What could be easier? THANK YOU!
ReplyDeleteMade and it is adorable! Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteK
made it & love it - and posted about it here:
ReplyDeletehttp://livngoodjewelry.blogspot.com
This is really neat! Thanks for sharing. Pls visit my etsy shop: www.lavenderfield.etsy.com
ReplyDeleteomg that was so easy!! thanks for the post this is my first attempt at making rings. I am HOOKED :)
ReplyDeleteI really like this. Thank you so much for the info!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this. I had a ring very similar to that in high school and I'm going to try to remake it with your help. :)
ReplyDeleteTamara...thank you so much for sharing this...wonderful tut!! I'm ready to go shopping for some silver wire and get busy..LOL!! I have several nieces that would love some handmade rings.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Regi
If I can ask...how about a tut on adding beading or charms!! Just a thought note for the tut bucket ^_^
Your ring is an awesome inspiration! Many thanks for sharing. I would like to feature your designs at http://www.handmade-jewelry-club.com/
ReplyDeleteContact me here if you have a concern.
Jane
http://diylessons.org/
Thank you! This tutorial is easy and so much fun! I just made the ring and it is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThank you! This tutorial was so easy and so much fun! I just made the ring and it is gorgeous! Please put up more easy, fun tutorials.
ReplyDeleteI would love to make earrings like this someday...
ReplyDeletehttp://shop.nordstrom.com/s/nunu-designs-marquis-wire-wrap-earrings/3236708?cm_cat=datafeed&cm_ite=nunu_designs_marquis_wire_wrap_earrings:503776&cm_pla=jewelry:women:earring&cm_ven=Froogle&mr:referralID=NA&mr:trackingCode=088FF216-7002-E111-8116-001517B1882A
Virginia, do a google search for 'Eni Oken tutorials' - you might find something that would get you there. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this tutorial! I am hooked! I made four rings today, one out of copper 20ga and three out of silver 20ga. It's not dead soft so my fingers are sore..lol. One was a button ring. They all turned out very nice considering I don't have the proper tools yet. Once again...Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis is an awesome tutorial, however some of the pictures are not displaying on the website. Is there anything you can do about this. I am a visual learner, especially when it comes to crafts. I would appreciate it. thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Tamara,
ReplyDeleteI was searching for wire wrapping rings and this tutorial came up… After reading the steps, I thought I would give it a try. Five minutes later I made my first wire wrapped ring thanks to you and your excellent step-by-step tutorial.
I am a beginner when it comes to wire wrapping (2 days… old) and you have inspired me to carry on and learn all I can about this art. Thanks and I’ll totally give you credit and praise when I write a post about this experience. Thanks again Tamara, Cari
Great tutorial great picture. You can use items fund around the house if you don't want to buy the ring mandrel. Try nail polish or a mascara tube.
ReplyDeleteHi there, I am jut starting to make these and I took a class at a local bead shop. We used the 20 gauge artistic wire for class purposes but I would like to make a silver one. I never know which type of wire to use when. I see that you used dead soft on this but half hard on the ear wires, also, how does the wire that you used for the ring compare to the artistic wire, is that considered half hard or dead soft?? Thanks!!
ReplyDeletecrlacy - you could use either dead soft or half hard - dead soft is going to be easier to manipulate into shape, but also more easily bent out of shape as a finished ring, which you don't necessarily want (though if that were to happen you could probably re-shape it again on a mandrel quite easily). Ideally, I'd use dead soft for ease of use during fabrication, then put it in a tumbler with some steel shot for about an hour to work harden the metal.
ReplyDeleteI am just now starting to make wire wrapped jewelry. I saw this post on pinterest. The instructions were simple and very helpful, thank you.
ReplyDeleteJe viens de la faire!!! Super jolie a porter😃
ReplyDeleteMerci beaucoup!!!
thank you for sharing. i have just started to do wraped wire. it is very interesting some of the creations are very beautifull.
ReplyDelete