Artisan wire wrapped jewelry: A primer

A Wire Wrapped Jewelry Primer
Part One: History

As wire wrapped jewelry composes such a big part of my work, I thought adding a bit of background and commentary about this particular jewelry niche might be helpful. I’ll split the dialogue over several posts for your reading pleasure.

Today’s post will focus a bit on the history of wire wrapping, and I’ll add later posts about tools, terms and resources. I’ll also try to include lots of links to online sources for your perusal if you would like additional information.

Let’s start with the definition of Wire Wrapped Jewelry. According to Wikipedia, wire wrapped "jewelry is made using jewelry wire and findings similar to wire (like head-pins) to make components. Wire components are then connected to one another using mechanical techniques with no soldering or heating of the wire. Frequently, in this approach, a wire is bent into a loop or other decorative shape and then the wire is wrapped around itself to finish the wire component making that loop or decorative shape permanent." Wire wrapped jewelry is differentiated from other types of jewelry making in that it is almost exclusively created by hand. Coiling, wrapping, bending, weaving and twisting wire, making loops and joining components is, by its nature, nearly impossible to automate. Although soldering is incorporated into some design aspects of wire wrapped pieces, typically components are joined via a ‘cold joining’ process, meaning wire to wire versus any soldering techniques.

Wire wrapped jewelry has been around for thousands of years. Again, according to Wikipedia, "the British Museum has samples of jewelry from the Sumerian Dynasty, dated at approximately 2000 BC." I’ve noticed that, while this particular jewelry making technique has been around for eons, it has experienced a revival of late within the artisan jewelry making revival itself. I discovered jewelry making and then wire wrapping about a year ago. After much practice, I’ve determined that the coiling aspect of wire wrapping is a nearly meditative act for me. Additionally, envisioning a practical joining solution to a contemplated design, sort of like solving a structural problem, is quite enjoyable too.

You can find additional wire wrapped jewelry resources at Wikipedia and This History of Wire Wrapping by Mark Case

Next segment: Tools
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Artisan beaded and wire wrapped jewelry by Shiny Adornments

ShinyAdornments is artisan beaded and wire wrapped jewelry, handcrafted in my Wichita, KS studio. I use sterling silver, gemstones, SRA lampwork, glass, and polymer clay beads. My jewelry shop includes bracelets, bangles, earrings, necklaces and cocktail rings for both work and play.

I like to create things in my Wichita, Kansas studio. I find inspiration in the wildflowers I drove past this morning on the way to work or the suit I just bought that needs the perfect accessory or the strange dream I had last night.

I make jewelry I would wear myself. The materials depend on my mood and inspiration. My goal is to create wearable items for work and play that offer an interesting statement about the women who wear them.

I belong to SRAJD, Self Representing Artists and Jewelry Designers, Member #1084.

See up to date information at http://shinyadornments.com/wordpress

Artisan Beaders Street Team on Etsy is official!

The Artisan Beaders Street Team on etsy is official effective today. We've got our own teams page on etsy.com here. Woo hoo!

About ABSTeam

The Artisan Beaders Street Team is a collection of artisan bead and jewelry designers. Our focus is on quality handmade pieces of wearable art, and each member works hard to create high quality pieces.

We are a juried Street Team with shops on Etsy that have come together for the purpose of promoting each other, the team, and handmade products. Applicants are reviewed once a quarter by all current members.

To find out more about us, please browse through our blog.

Founding members of ABSTeam include:

Abelee's Handcrafted

Beadwright

Catie's Blue

CC Design's Jewelry

Crysallis creations

Crystal Impressions

Deronda designs

Down to Earth Creations

Elbit Enterprises

Jael's ArtJewels

Kaskaad Handmade Jewellery

M. Augusta Woodland

Orion Designs

Shiny Adornments

SignatureSterling

Studio Marcy

The Jewelry Box

How to care for sterling silver and copper jewelry

I've seen quite a few posts on some of the boards I belong lately regarding how to care for sterling silver and copper jewelry. If you don't want to read it all, my big tip of the day: Worcestershire sauce is a miracle cleaner for copper. Really.

Here you go:

Sterling
Sterling silver is a beautiful metal that will last for generations with proper care. To prevent tarnish, follow these tips:

• Store your jewelry in a cool, dry place. Silver tarnishes when exposed to air, so it’s a good idea to keep your silver in airtight zip lock plastic bags or an airtight container when not in use. This will help to slow the tarnishing process and protect your jewelry from scratching.
  

• Remove when cleaning, swimming and taking a shower. Always remove your jewelry before using any product that contains bleach, ammonia, alcohol, fingernail polish removers that contain acetone, and turpentine. Some of these can cause a breakdown in the metal alloys leaving the your jewelry beyond repair and dull or even pit the surface of your gemstones.
  

• Remove when sleeping. Movement during sleep can also cause stress.
  

• The best way to clean your jewelry is with a professional jewelry polishing cloth. The cloth is treated with cleaning chemicals and not only will the cloth last a long time, it will give you an amazing shine each and every time. Rub gently and a lengthwise motion and it will also shine the stones.

• Silver polishing cloths are available at major supermarkets, hardware and jewelry stores.
  

• Use a non-abrasive brand name liquid or paste silver polish to remove heavy tarnish. Rinse thoroughly with warm water to remove all traces of polish from your gemstones. Dry your jewelry before storing it in an airtight zip lock bag or container. Never use toothpaste as it is very abrasive.
  

• Never dip any silver jewelry in 'dip' solutions or commercial cleaning solutions even though it may say that it is for silver jewelry. Dip cleaners will work the first few times, but after that, the silver jewelry may change color and will never look the same. Also stones and beads may be damaged by dip solutions.
  

• If you find you need more than a polishing cloth, another simple way to clean your silver jewelry is to fill an aluminum pan with really hot (but not boiling) tap water. Add about 2 teaspoons of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir a bit. Add your jewelry and let soak for 10 minutes. Rinse and dry thoroughly. (Note: some dyed beads may lose their color when cleaned in this manner. Test first before cleaning the whole piece.)

Brass / Copper
Brass and copper components will patina over time. This is a natural occurrence. However, copper and brass are very simple to care for. While they do tarnish more quickly than sterling silver, they can be restored to their original shine easily. Methods for cleaning and shining copper and brass jewelry are:

• Commercial copper/brass cleaner. Be sure that any stones in the jewelry can withstand the chemicals in the cleaner or do not use it.
  

• Worcestershire sauce does a great job of cleaning copper and brass jewelry. This method should not be used with gemstones or pearls that cannot be cleaned with chemical cleaners, as the acid in the sauce may affect more delicate stones.
  

• The acid in the tomato of the ketchup shines up copper and brass quite nicely. This method can be messier than the Worcestershire. Apply it with a toothbrush or soft cloth, then rinse thoroughly. Avoid getting ketchup on the same types of stones as should not be used with chemical cleaners.

  As with sterling silver, copper and brass jewelry will tarnish more slowly if stored in an airtight zip lock plastic bag or jewelry case with anti-tarnish paper.

You can find my handmade artisan beaded and wire wrapped sterling silver jewelry here