How to wire wrap beads

Wire wrapping beads (caged beads) can be accomplished with a few different techniques.  The technique used below is simple and secures the bead.  If you have not tried wire wrapping, be patient, it can take some getting use to.  Once you get the hang of it, you'll find yourself incorporating it in many jewelry designs.  We recommend it for both earrings and necklaces.  Although, you will find projects at other sites and in magazines for bracelets, the reality is, it's just not practical.  Bracelets need to withstand much more abuse than wire wrapping can typically handle.  So, we recommend you try wire wrapping designs in anything that won't get banged or bumped often. This project uses 20-gauge wire, 10mm Czech glass pearl beads and head pins to secure the bead.

If you want to create the earrings shown, you can find the items used listed at the bottom of the page. Start out by cutting a piece of wire, we're using about 5 inches, you'll want to adjust this depending the size of the bead you use and how much bead you want to show through the cage.  ALWAYS USE SAFETY GLASSES.  Grasp the end of the 20-gauge bead wire with your round-nose pliers.  Using your thumb, work the wire so that it wraps around one of the jaws of the pliers, creating a loop.

Once your loop is created (the end of the wire should be touching the end of your loop) use the chain-nose pliers to grasp the wire just below the loop. Grip firmly, but not too hard, otherwise you will mar the wire.  Consider using Nylon Jaw Pliers - they will not dent or mar the wire.

With the index finger of your free hand guide the wire around the loop creating a second circle against the loop.  Continue in the same direction, until you've created a spiral of a couple of circles.   Stop, and grasp the other end of the wire and repeat these steps in the opposite direction.  See the picture below.

Continue to work both ends of the wire into spirals in opposite directions and stop when the spirals are even and meet.  It should look like the picture at the left.

Taking the spirals, fold the middle section so that one spiral is lying directly on top of the other.

Your folded spirals should look like the photo to the left.

You'll now need to open the wire/cage by expanding the spirals.  This will allow you to place your bead inside the cage.  You want to slightly open the fold that you created and use your pliers, applying light pressure, to work the tightest part of the spirals upward.  This will open the cage.

You can now place your bead inside the wire cage and work the bead around so that the bead hole lines up with the holes that you created when you made your first loop (step one).

You should now be able to slide a head pin, (eye pin or other wire) through the end of the spiral (loop), then through the bead, and back through the other end of the cage.  If you've used too much wire and your cage is too big, don't worry, the cage is not securing the bead, the head pin holds both the bead and the cage.  Feel free to start over and adjust the amount of wire you use until you achieve your desired results.

Grasp the top of the head pin with either flat nose or chain nose pliers.  Bend the wire over the jaws of the pliers to create a 90 degree angle.

Grasp the wire at the 90 degree angle with round nose pliers and create a loop.  To learn more about creating loops, see project 2.  Once you've created the loop, firmly hold the loop with your round nose pliers and with the index finger of your free hand; wrap the wire around the shaft just below the loop.  This wrapping keeps a consistency with the entire wire wrap bead project.  Once you've reached the base of the cage, snip the wire - so that any wire trim moves away from you and always use safety glasses - and tuck the end flush against the shaft.

Open the loop on an earwire and slide the loop of the cage on the ear wire.  Close the earwire loop and your wire wrap dangle earring is complete.

To create the design above you will need the following items

(this beading project assumes you already have pliers - if not, see our tools section)

Wire Wrap Earring Design

Sterling Silver 2" 22 gauge Headpins

SSFEW21B - Sterling Silver Flat French Earwires with Ball or SSFEW21BC - Sterling Silver Flat French Earwire with Ball and Coil