How to Reset an Heirloom Stone
Gather your supplies., Prepare your wire., Wrap the wire around your stone., Create a band between windings with your wire., Attach a jump ring and string your chain., Add jump rings and clasps as necessary.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Gather your supplies.
For this project, you'll be wrapping jewelry wire around your heirloom stone to make a necklace setting.
If you are a beginner to wire wrapping stones, you may want to choose an inexpensive wire to begin with.The following list of supplies for this process can be bought at most craft or hobby shops and includes:
Clasps (x2) Heirloom stone (loose) Isopropyl alcohol Jewelry chain Jump rings (x2) Pliers (needle nose preferred) Rag (or paper towel) Ruler Wire cutters (or side cutters) Wire (25-gauge jewelry/craft wire) -
Step 2: Prepare your wire.
Many kinds of jewelry wire will have a polishing agent on it.
This can turn your fingers black when working and make a mess.
Clean this from your wire by dampening a clean rag or paper towel with isopropyl alcohol and wipe down the wire., There are many different wrapping patterns you can use to make the new necklace setting for your stone.
Generally, the wire should hold your stone firmly in place.
One of the simplest wire wrapping techniques you can use involves:
Wrapping your wire horizontally (left to right) around the middle of your stone three to five times.
These windings should have no space in between and be tight.
Tucking the loose end underneath your windings with your pliers when you are satisfied with the windings.
Wrapping your wire vertically (top to bottom) around the middle of your stone three to five times in the same fashion as your horizontal wrap.
You may want to use a dab of permanent craft glue, like E6000, on the wire ends to hold them in place.
However, this glue may be difficult to remove., Measure the distance between your vertical and horizontal windings with a ruler.
Add 2 to 3" (5 to
7.6 cm) to this measurement.
Cut a piece of wire to this length, then use your pliers to wind one end of the wire around your vertical and horizontal wrappings to create a band running between the windings.
To create a secure bond and ensure that your stone doesn't come loose from the necklace, you may want to use dabs of permanent craft glue, like E6000, where the wires connect., Take your pliers and twist the jump ring so it opens enough to fit around your band of wire between horizontal and vertical windings.
Close the jump ring with your pliers, then string the chain for your necklace through the jump ring., Some chains may come pre-equipped with jump rings and clasps.
If not, however, you'll have to bend open another jump ring, attach it to one end of your chain, add a clasp to the jump ring, then close the jump ring with your pliers.
If your chain is too fine for your clasp to connect to the end link of its opposite end:
Take another jump ring and open it with your pliers.
Add this jump ring to the end of the opposite, clasp-less side of the chain.
Close off the jump ring, and connect both ends of the chain by attaching the clasp at one end to the jump ring on the other. -
Step 3: Wrap the wire around your stone.
-
Step 4: Create a band between windings with your wire.
-
Step 5: Attach a jump ring and string your chain.
-
Step 6: Add jump rings and clasps as necessary.
Detailed Guide
For this project, you'll be wrapping jewelry wire around your heirloom stone to make a necklace setting.
If you are a beginner to wire wrapping stones, you may want to choose an inexpensive wire to begin with.The following list of supplies for this process can be bought at most craft or hobby shops and includes:
Clasps (x2) Heirloom stone (loose) Isopropyl alcohol Jewelry chain Jump rings (x2) Pliers (needle nose preferred) Rag (or paper towel) Ruler Wire cutters (or side cutters) Wire (25-gauge jewelry/craft wire)
Many kinds of jewelry wire will have a polishing agent on it.
This can turn your fingers black when working and make a mess.
Clean this from your wire by dampening a clean rag or paper towel with isopropyl alcohol and wipe down the wire., There are many different wrapping patterns you can use to make the new necklace setting for your stone.
Generally, the wire should hold your stone firmly in place.
One of the simplest wire wrapping techniques you can use involves:
Wrapping your wire horizontally (left to right) around the middle of your stone three to five times.
These windings should have no space in between and be tight.
Tucking the loose end underneath your windings with your pliers when you are satisfied with the windings.
Wrapping your wire vertically (top to bottom) around the middle of your stone three to five times in the same fashion as your horizontal wrap.
You may want to use a dab of permanent craft glue, like E6000, on the wire ends to hold them in place.
However, this glue may be difficult to remove., Measure the distance between your vertical and horizontal windings with a ruler.
Add 2 to 3" (5 to
7.6 cm) to this measurement.
Cut a piece of wire to this length, then use your pliers to wind one end of the wire around your vertical and horizontal wrappings to create a band running between the windings.
To create a secure bond and ensure that your stone doesn't come loose from the necklace, you may want to use dabs of permanent craft glue, like E6000, where the wires connect., Take your pliers and twist the jump ring so it opens enough to fit around your band of wire between horizontal and vertical windings.
Close the jump ring with your pliers, then string the chain for your necklace through the jump ring., Some chains may come pre-equipped with jump rings and clasps.
If not, however, you'll have to bend open another jump ring, attach it to one end of your chain, add a clasp to the jump ring, then close the jump ring with your pliers.
If your chain is too fine for your clasp to connect to the end link of its opposite end:
Take another jump ring and open it with your pliers.
Add this jump ring to the end of the opposite, clasp-less side of the chain.
Close off the jump ring, and connect both ends of the chain by attaching the clasp at one end to the jump ring on the other.
About the Author
Patrick Mendoza
Enthusiastic about teaching crafts techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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