Standard needle nose pliers may have grooves that scratch jewelry.
Wire art jewelry can be a simple, inexpensive way to get started in jewelry-making, and it only requires a few simple hand tools. Also called wire wrap or simply wire jewelry, wire art turns lines, bends and curves into wearable artwork that is only limited by the creativity and skill of the artisan.
Description
Wire art jewelry can be made from copper, silver or other malleable wires bent into shapes and worn as pendants, earrings, bracelets and other forms. Wire art jewelry is an appropriate entry point for beginning metal artists because it does not generally require soldering or other advanced skills, and the tools needed are readily available. Designs can consist solely of wire forms or may include beads, stones and charms.
History
The exact origins of wire jewelry are unknown, but both the Egyptians and Phoenicians practiced the art. Wire art jewelry fell out of favor under the Roman Empire, and then was used sparingly as wire production processes developed. Wire wrapping as it is practiced today is generally attributed to artist C.G. Oxley, who trained World War I veterans in his wire wrapping techniques in the early 20th century to give them gainful employment, according to Witt's Wires.
Tools
Wire cutters and pliers are the basic tools of the wire jewelry artist. Side or diagonal cutters, end nippers and cutters built into pliers are all frequently used. The basic plier set for the wire artist includes a set of needle-nose, flat-nose and round-nose pliers. Files for smoothing the cut edges are also used, and some artists use clamps to hold their work or boards with prongs to wrap the wire around. Although no power tools are required for wire wrap jewelry, some artists use powered cutoff wheels to trim wire without pinching it with handheld cutters. Polishing tools such as buffing wheels may also be used with silver and gold wire.
Techniques
Learning wire wrap jewelry often begins with learning create even spirals using round nose pliers, maintaining consistent spacing between wraps of the wire as the spiral grows larger. Some artists may learn to wrap the wire around objects such as dowels to form spring-like shapes.
Pegboard techniques may require the artist to calculate a pattern of wraps on a series of pegs to create abstract or geometric shapes when the wire is wrapped around the pegs in a select order. This technique is particularly good for creating multiple pieces that are nearly identical.
Considerations
Most metal wire can be scratched easily by metal pliers. For this reason, many artists choose nylon-coated or tipped pliers that will not scratch precious or coated metals. Tape may also be wrapped around plier tips to reduce scarring. The wire itself may have limitations; silver and gold wire often comes in hard, medium and soft varieties, each with various benefits and drawbacks. Softer wire is easier to shape in detail, but will not hold its shape as well under normal wearing conditions. The thickness (gauge) of the wire also contributes to how workable it is. Practicing on wire that is similar to the gauge and hardness of the intended medium is helpful for new wire artists.
