On my beading table today is lots and lots of wire wrapping supplies and gemstones. I've been experimenting with different wire wrapping techniques, trying to come up with new ways of creating a custom wire-wrapped bezel setting for a large gemstone pendant. Three days of work and I'm pretty excited about the results, but I'm not too excited about sore wrists and torn up fingertips!
After seeing Andrea's amazing wire wrapping, I had to try it myself! Several weeks ago I had Gilders Pasted some shiny gold metal leaves in iris blue and african bronze. They have been sitting on my table ever since. I think they look really nice hanging from a gold hoop I made from 18 gauge craft wire and then wire wrapped with 26 gauge wire and Toho beads.
3 comments:
Julie, that is pretty cool, but as sore as my elbows and forearms are from wrapping so many crystals for some of my earrings I've done lately, I think I would be in a cast!
Andrea, I would really like to see a closeup of the detail on that wrap -- it is kind of confusing because it looks like 4 different wraps or materials? I clicked on it, but couldn't get any closer (I could be just not doing it right).
Andrea, I went back to it and used the Mozilla zoom feature (CTRL plus +) to get as close as I could. Did you glue a circle onto the stone? I'm still curious to see the detail of the wire wrapping. Don't know if you can take a close up of that, but would be interested in seeing it!
Also, these look like huge bead mats! Where did you find them? I'm looking for a piece of bead map that I can cut to fit the tray I use to bead while in the den watching TV (18" x 12"), and I'd like to put one on my work surface in my office (30" x 18"). Right now I have two dinky ones for the tray and felt (how I hate felt's fibers!) for the office. Is there something comparable at a fabric store?
Hey Celery! Thanks for your questions! The beading mats we use are 13 x 18, and we get right from our store. You can find them here: http://www.beadaholique.com/p-25483-beadalon-large-beading-mats-prevent-bead-rolling-13-x-18-inch-set-of-2.aspx
As far as the wire wrapped pendant goes, we will hopefully be using it for an add in Step By Step Wire magazine, so the picture we will use will be really close-up and full of detail... which also means I will be writing up instructions on how to make it (wish me luck!). But to answer your immediate question: yes, I glued a TierraCast brass oxide ring onto the front of my purple sugilite pendant after making the wire wrapped bezel. I used E6000 :)
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