DIYU: How to Make Wire Wrapped Crystal Ring

March 20, 2013

DIYU: How to Make Wire Wrapped Crystal Ring

Hello! My name is Mary-Jo Peritore and I am the one woman show behind MerCurios. Our adjustable raw crystal ring project was published in Step-by-Step Wire Jewelry Magazine and I wanted to share it will all of you at DIYU. I hope you enjoy it.

Tools& Materials

12 gauge copper wire, 15”
ring mandrel
wire cutters
loose raw crystal (not drilled)
raw hide / rubber mallet
Round pliers / bail making pliers
nylon pliers
needle file
marker

Step1:

Cut 1 15” piece of 12gauge wire.
File the ends of the wire to smooth & round them them out as we do not want sharp edges.
Mark the center of the wire with a marker – half way down, about 7.5”
With your thumb, begin pushing out at the mark bending the wire evenly towards you.
Complete the fold using your nylon pliers. Grab the wire at the bend and fold the two pieces until they are touching
It is natural for the ends to overlap, don't stress. Once you have the fold complete, simply bend the two ends away from one another at a slight angle.
Once we form the ring, the pieces will flatten out.

Step2:

Take your bail making round pliers, grab the wire at the folded tip and begin to bend forming the circle.
Once the folded end meets the rest of the wire, spread the two wires apart and continue the circle.
Slide the wire off of the pliers and onto a ring mandrel at the largest desired size. I want mt ring to be adjustable from a size 7 US to a size 10 US so I placed on the mandrel at a size 10, making sure that the fold & extended wires overlap slightly at this point – this is going to be the top of the ring.

Step3:

Holding the ring frame snugly with your fingers, lay the crystal on top of it. Reposition it until you are happy with the way it looks as this will be the top of the ring.
Once you happy with the position, begin wrapping one of the 12gauge wires up and over the loose crystal to secure it to the frame. Take the other 12gauge wire and repeat, wrapping the wire up and over the crystal further securing it to the frame.
Wrap as many times as you like. Stopping only when you are happy with the way it looks and the crystal is secured. Use wire snips to cut any excess wire.
Use nylon pliers to gently bend the ends of the wire to the crystal
If your crystal is loose use a rubber or rawhide mallet to further secure the stone, or the ends cannot be manipulated by hand, by gently hammering the wire to the stone.
Should ring band become misshapen, simply slide it on to the ring mandrel and gently hammer it back in to shape using the rubber or rawhide mallet

Step4:

when you are finished securing the crystal, use the round bail pliers to re-size the ring to the smallest size. Per the above example I am taking my ring down to a size 7

*Keepin mind you can use any shape or size stone. Allow the wire to flowwith the stone as you secure it.

*tomake the design more intricate you can wrap the inner band of thering too.

This is one of my favorite trends right now, and I'm really looking forward to some DIY jewelry making with this great tutorial. A big big thank you to MJ for joining us today at DIY University: School for Crafting Misfits. If you're just joining us, be sure to check out the other great tutorials teaching basic skills to inspire you to join in the create change movement. I know I learned how to use some of those fancy pliers and hope you did too! Will you be trying your hand at wire wrapped rings? Still have a question? We'd love to hear from you in the comments below-