How to Make a Wire Spiral

Wire work is simple once you know a few basics. The wire spiral is great for turning large beads into pendants, or embellishing the base of an earring.

Cut a piece of sterling silver wire. For this project, we used a five inch piece of 22-gauge half hard wire. The length you use will depend on how many rings you want in your spiral. You may need to experiment a bit to get your length just right. With round-nose pliers, make a simple loop by wrapping the wire once around the pliers.

Hold the loop firmly in the middle of your chain nose pliers and with your finger, push the wire upward to wrap it around the first loop. Do this until you have the desired size. You will need to adjust the pliers as you go. Be careful not to scratch the wire.

When you have all the loops you need, make a 90 degree bend in the wire.

For a charm, finish by making a simple loop (insert link). For a headpin, attach the beads you want and finish with either a simple loop (insert link) or a wrapped loop (insert link)