tutorial1(1).pdf

TUTORIAL 001: Cage Pendant

by DK Heath (nic Remy) – www.studioheath.com

Please do not reproduce, loan out or distribute this tutorial. Please give credit to the designer and refer friends to download

their own copy from www.studioheath.com/tutorials.htm

In this tutorial, you will learn to make a very versatile little pendant that can be made up quickly at shows and be easily adapted

to encage a variety of pretty objects. Some suggestions are; gemstone nuggets, fried marbles, lampwork beads, tumbled

stones, talismans, rough crystals or other focal beads.

Materials:

•

12” (310mm) 20ga square, half hard

silver wire cut into three even pieces.

(Alternatively: use round wire)

•

Short length 22ga half round, half hard

silver wire. Just enough to wrap three

wires to form the base of your pendant.

•

Short length 22ga round wire. Just

enough to wrap the neck of your

pendant.

•

1 15x10mm focal nugget, marble or

bead.

•

1 round ‘mandrel’ object slightly bigger

than your chosen focal nugget or bead.

Tools:

•

Round nose pliers, square nose pliers,

chain nose pliers, flush cutters, sharpie

pen & ruler.

Page 1

Place the half round wire in your flat nose pliers

and turn over the end just short of the width of

the jaw of your flat nose. Essentially, you are

aiming to make this turned end slightly shorter

than the width of the three square wires lying

side by side, which you'll be wrapping next step.

Step 2: Wrapping the base

Hold your three square wires together, ends

even and hook the half round wire over and

squeeze gently with your flat nose. The end of

the hook will be slightly angled (exaggerated for

the picture).

Wrap the half round wire snugly around your

three square wires, giving a gentle squeeze with

your flat nose with each wrap of the wires.

Slightly overlap these half round wire wraps by

a microscopic amount and squeeze with the

pliers will ensure the wires sit snug side by

side.

Continue to wrap five times, ending the last

wrap on the same side as you started so you

will have the ends on the same side. Check the

other side for neatness, as this will be the side

that is visible. Squeeze gently with your flat

nose, to close any unwanted gaps between the

wraps, being mindful not to slip and scratch the

wires. Check to make sure the ends aren't

sticking out, trimming them slightly short of the

edge with your flush cutters if they are.

You should now have five straight snug wraps

on one side of the bundled wires (which will be

the visible side on the finished piece) and with

no ends showing.

Page 2

Step 1: Beginning the wrap

Step 3: Preparing the cage wires

Hold the metal ruler and slide it between the

square wires, gently levering the wires outward

and separating them evenly. Get in as close as

you can to the wraps, but without disturbing the

wraps themselves. Give the ruler a little side-to-

side wiggle to help you move the ruler towards

the wraps.

Spread the wires out, even distance apart.

Step 4: Forming the cage.

Place the prepared wire on a flat surface. The

ends of the half round 'wire wrap’ section in the

middle need to be facing upward . Hold your

round ‘forming’ object evenly positioned on the

middle of the wrapped section and push one of

the wires firmly over the object, stopping at the

top. Make sure the square wire does not twist

as you do this. It should lay flat on the object.

If you have used a larger bead as your

‘mandrel’, you can use the holes as your guide

by placing the hole on your wrap wires,. then

mark your wire with a sharpie pen at the point

where it meets the top hole. Other objects of

course can be marked with a little black dot on

either side to achieve the same.

Page 3

With each wire you bend over your round

mandrel, check it carefully and make sure it is

nice and evenly curved, comparing all wires

against each other for similar curves. Ease out

any kinks gently with your thumb and forefinger.

At the sharpie mark on each wire, take your flat

nose pliers and make a bend at this mark. This

to will form the neck of the pendant. Take care

not to twist the wire as you bend.

Work around your frame wires, selecting the

wires opposite to do next. Make comparison

checks for even curves and even bend points

as you go around and do all wires.

Page 4

As you are working around, check that the

mandrel object remains centred in the frame,

making adjustments as you go. Separate the

first wires at the top slightly to allow the next

wires to go between them so they too can be

pushed firmly all the way to the top of the

mandrel object, forming nice full curves.

After all wires are done, the cage should now

look something like this.

Place your focal nugget or bead in the cage and

check for fit. If you have selected a round

mandrel object slightly larger than your focal

nugget, you should have a nice snug fit.

Page 5

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