Some marbles are too special to play with. If you've been wondering how to showcase a unique marble, why not turn it into jewelry? By using a technique called spiral wire wrapping, you can create a striking pendant without gluing, drilling or otherwise disturbing the marble.
Things You'll Need:
- Chain Nose Pliers
- Flush Cutters
- Copper Wire, 20-Gauge
- Round Nose Pliers
Cut an 8-inch length of wire. This length is for a standard size marble. You may need more or less for marbles of unconventional size.
Find the midpoint of the wire by bending it in half and making the ends meet.
Create a small loop at one end of the wire using round nose pliers.
Grip the loop flat with chain nose pliers and start spiraling the wire around itself. Wind the spiral to the mid point of the wire, keeping the space between the spirals tight. When you reach the midpoint, stop the spiral.
Create a small loop at the other end of the wire using round nose pliers.
Grip the loop flat with chain nose pliers and start spiraling the wire around itself, but this time spiral the wire in the opposite direction of the previous spiral. Wind the spiral to the mid-point of the wire, keeping the space between the spirals tight. When you reach the midpoint, stop the spiral. Your wire should now look like an "S," with two spirals going in opposite directions.
Flatten the spirals on top of each other so they look like a circle.
Reach into the middle of one of the spirals using chain nose pliers, and start pulling it slightly apart. Do the same with the other spiral. Your spirals should now form a small wire cage.
Insert the marble into the center of the cage. Tighten the cage, if necessary, by twisting the spiral and arranging the wire so there are no large gaps where the marble could fall out.
Grab one of the small center loops with chain nose pliers and bring it to a 45-degree angle. This will be the loop you'll string cord or chain through to hang your caged marble, if you want to wear it as a necklace.
Tip
Experiment with different types of 20 gauge wire. Brass, aluminum, galvanized steel and other wires are also suitable and should be available at any well-stocked hardware store.
You can also use the spiral wire wrapping technique to make earrings or create components that can be joined together to make a bracelet or necklace. To make earrings, simply join the caged marbles to ear wires using jump rings. To make components for a bracelet or necklace, simply pull the center loops out of both spirals and turn them up at a 45-degree angle. You can then connect the components by joining the loops with jump rings.
Warnings:
- Avoid using plastic craft wires. They nick easily.
Resources
Writer Bio
Michele Rappoport is an Arizona-based writer with more than 25 years of professional writing experience. She worked as publications manager for Community College of Philadelphia and as a copywriter for advertising agencies before starting her own writing business. Rappoport holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication—print journalism, from American University.
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