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July 05, 2013

Free Tutorial: Spiral or Rose Wire Wrapped Ring

I'm still working my way through my Pinterest Free Jewelry Tutorials Board.  It has provided a lot of inspiration lately.

Today, it's wire rings on the menu!  I made many of these rings last week while I was in Arizona with my family and friends watching my son play baseball.  When your child pitches (whether it's baseball or softball), it results in a lot of nervous energy for the parents.  A lot of my friends pace, or eat sunflower seeds, or talk. I use that fidgety energy to make simple jewelry.  Stuff that doesn't require a ton of concentration - so I can glance up every once in a while, but not obsess over the game.  (He pitched great, by the way - but I like to think that's because I'm channeling my nervous energy into something other than how he's doing).  

The first place I started was with this easy to follow Free Rosette Wire Wrapped Ring Tutorial by McFarland Designs.  Follow it just like the instructions say and you'll have a fabulous ring just like this.


Of course, I didn't follow the instructions all that closely at first, and mine ended up more like a spiral or coil ring.





I like the spiral wire ring too, so I made a few more like this.  I remembered seeing someone who makes spiral rings from a really small gauge (thick) wire and they polish the spiral coil flat and super shiny.  They are very nice, so I decided to channel some of my nervous energy into filing, shaping and smoothing.  I used a nail files and a nail buffer - in case you are wondering.


I really like the results - and this was the spiral ring that I wore most of the trip (when I could pry it off my daughter's hand that is!)


But there are two other free tutorials for rose style rings that I wanted to give a whirl.

The Wire Wrapped Rose Ring Tutorial at Julie Ann Art  is super easy to follow.

And there is another from a Spanish language blog that is entirely in pictures that is also helpful.  The free Rose Ring Tutorial from Ankara66 is great because it doesn't matter what language you speak.  I love when jewelry making information comes from so many different places in the world!

I made a large copper rose ring.  This ring is another of my favorites.  It looks so much like a rose in bloom.  I made the rose flower pretty large and showy.  It's super for summer.


I also made one in silver that has more overlaps and twists in the wire. It is a bit frilly for my taste, but my good friend Cathy who was in Arizona with us, likes this rose style ring the best.  I saw her yesterday and she said she had tons of compliments on her ring in the past week!


Up until now, I haven't used a lot of craft wire for my jewelry making, but I decided to try this ring in black colored wire too.  I thought it would make it less fancy - and it did.  So much so, this is the other ring that I choose to wear lately.


I should mention that in addition to all the rings you see here, I gave away at least 6 or 7 to Mom's and Grand Mom's on our team.  I love being able to do that.  It gives them a sweet little surprise and many parents will remember me and show me the jewelry I gave them at a tournament in prior years.

One year, I brought elastic cord, letter beads and pony beads to keep the siblings of the players busy during the hot games - and the parents all ended up making bracelets to cheer on their kids and the team.  I saw some of those bracelets last week in Arizona too!

If you're looking for something a little more advanced, I have a step by step tutorial on how to make a domed wire spiral ring. The only special tools required are a dapping block.


You could also follow these instructions and replace the dapping step by hammering the spiral flat using a stainless steel bench block.


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6 comments:

  1. I'm enjoying your blog posts Lisa~really loved the part about making bracelets at the ball park :D

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    1. Thank you! It was a funny sight to see the Moms playing with the beads I bought for the kids. Especially when they would come running over and ask me 'Can you tie this?' or 'Is this long enough?' - lol.

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  2. I like both your rings Lisa what a good idea polishing the wire flat never tried that! My daughter when she makes a coil ring adds a bead in the centre that looks nice too.
    Jackie

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    1. I'll have to try a bead in the center - or even in some of the wraps maybe! Thank you Jackie

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  3. Elizabeth MorganJanuary 21, 2015

    Hey there! I've been reading through your blog to get ideas, and figured I'd wait to comment on anything until I got to the more current posts. But, this is the ring that got me started :) Working on a few ways now to combine this with the braided style ring, its a work in progress. Waiting for my first batch of beads to come in the mail, way more excited for that box than I thought I'd be! Only been doing this for a few months so I'm definitely still a new beginner and all the tips and tricks online are making it much easier to learn.

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    1. I'm glad you are working your way through all of my assorted projects and rambling. I love getting boxes of beads in the mail too - maybe more than actually working with them! I hope you find my blog useful and will let me know as your jewelry making progresses. Enjoy!

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