Every wire wrapper starts in exactly the same place—with a single piece of wire and a pair of pliers.
This page has been designed as a complete beginner’s course in wire jewellery.
If you work your way from the top of the page to the bottom, each lesson builds on the one before it. By the time you’ve completed the course you’ll have learned the core techniques I use every day at the bench, giving you the confidence to move on to complete pendant projects and begin designing your own work.
You don’t need previous experience.
Just some wire, a few basic tools and the willingness to have a go.
So grab a coffee, pull up a chair…
Welcome to the Glastonbury Wire Studio.
Every great piece of jewellery begins with a solid foundation. Before we touch any wire, we’ll spend a little time getting your bench ready and introducing the essential tools every beginner needs. It might not seem as exciting as making your first project, but understanding how your tools work is an essential part of the learning process.
Before we make our first piece of jewellery, let’s talk about the tools. The good news is you don’t need a workshop full of expensive tools to get started.
There is one tool I’d spend a little extra money on because it’s the most important tool on the bench, and that’s a good pair of flush cutters. Learning how to use them properly is one of the most important skills in wire wrapping, and we’ll be using them throughout this course.
Once you’ve got your basic tools sorted, the next addition to your bench is a hammer and block. In this lesson I’ll show you the hammers I use, how to hold them correctly, and why a few small changes in technique can make a big difference to your finished work.
Now that your bench is ready, it’s time to start making jewellery. We’ll begin with some of the most important techniques in wire wrapping, learning how to create eye loops, head pins and wire wrapped eye loops. These simple components form the foundation of countless designs and will become skills you’ll return to time and time again.
Now it’s time to make something. The humble eye loop might seem like one of the simplest techniques in wire wrapping, but it’s also one of the most important. Learning to make every eye loop the same size teaches you the discipline and consistency that will show through in everything you make.
Head pins are the natural next step after eye loops because the two skills go hand in hand. In fact, one of the best ways to finish a head pin is with a perfectly formed eye loop, so everything you’ve just learnt comes straight into play.
The wire wrapped eye loop is a natural progression from the eye loop you’ve already mastered. It’s another one of those simple techniques where consistency matters, because taking the time to perfect it now will show through in everything you make later on.
Up until now we’ve been learning individual techniques. This is where we start putting them together. You’ll create a simple one-wire stone wrap that’s perfect for awkward shapes, beach finds and unusual crystals. It’s a straightforward design, but a great introduction to pendant making.
You’ve learnt the beginnings of wire jewellery with the simple eye loop and wire wrapped eye loop. Now it’s time to start putting those skills to work. In this section we’ll build a bracelet using the techniques you’ve already practised, adding a few new ones along the way, and showing you how simple components come together to create a finished piece of jewellery.
A wire cage is one of the simplest ways to capture a small bead or stone. Using little more than a pair of spirals, you’ll create a versatile component that can be used in pendants, bracelets and all sorts of future designs.
Not every piece of jewellery ends with a pendant. In this lesson you’ll learn to make a traditional shepherd’s crook clasp, a simple, elegant fastening that’s quick to make and one you’ll use time and time again.
This is where it all starts coming together. Using the cages, eye loops and shepherd’s crook clasp you’ve already made, we’ll build a simple bracelet while practising precision. It’s not just about the bracelet; it’s about building the muscle memory every wire wrapper relies on.
Every new technique builds on the last. In this chapter we’ll revisit the skills you’ve already mastered, introducing new ways to use them while expanding your design vocabulary. As your confidence grows, you’ll discover that the simplest components often become the foundation of your most interesting jewellery.
The wire wrapped eye loop is one of the first techniques every wire wrapper learns, but it’s only the beginning. In this lesson we’ll transform that simple eye loop into an elegant bead cap that becomes part of the design.
Coils may be one of the simplest things you’ll ever make with wire, but don’t let that fool you. They’re used to add texture, create components and become part of the design itself. Once you’ve mastered them, you’ll start seeing opportunities to use them everywhere.
By now you’ve got a good collection of techniques under your belt, so let’s put them to work again. We’ll combine eye loops, wire wrapped bead caps and coiled components to create another bracelet, while reinforcing the skills you’ve already learnt and exploring the design process.
The Figure of 8 weave is one of the most important techniques in wire jewellery, and this chapter is dedicated to mastering it. We’ll begin with the fundamentals, explore more advanced applications, then put those skills into practice by creating a simple project with two completely different outcomes.
The Figure of 8 weave is one of the most important skills in wire jewellery. For me, it’s the glue that holds everything together. Once you’ve got it under your fingers, you’ll start spotting it everywhere, from decorative details to the hidden engineering that gives a piece its strength.
Once you’ve mastered the basic Figure of 8 weave, it’s time to take it to the next level. We’ll use it to bind extra wires into the weave, creating stronger structures, expanding your design possibilities and opening the door to more advanced wire wrapping techniques.
Weaving in a straight line is one thing, but every design eventually has to turn a corner. In this lesson you’ll learn how to guide your weave smoothly around curves, building the control, judgement and confidence that every wire wrapper develops through practice.
Now it’s time to put your new weaving skills into practice. Using a simple frame, we’ll create an elegant pendant while learning to weave around gentle curves. More importantly, this design lays the foundation for the next lesson, where we’ll transform the same frame into something completely different.
The same frame can tell a completely different story. In this lesson we’ll swap weaving for wrapping, adding beads to transform the design while introducing new wrapping techniques that will become invaluable in future projects.
By now you’re familiar with the core techniques. It’s time to take things a step further. We’ll introduce twisted wire, explore more advanced uses of the Figure of 8 weave and show how simple wrapping techniques can create strong, elegant designs. This chapter isn’t about learning lots of new techniques; it’s about getting more from the ones you already know.
This simple cuff introduces some of my favourite wrapping patterns while showing how they become part of the engineering, not just decoration. You’ll see how a few well-placed wraps create strong anchor points for future designs.
This project is all about practice. You’ve already learnt the Figure of 8 weave, now we’re going to use it over and over until it becomes second nature. By the end of the cuff you’ll have had plenty of time at the bench with one of the most useful weaves in wire jewellery.
I think we’ve earned ourselves a fun project. Strictly speaking, this isn’t a Basic Skills lesson because there’s a couple of fiddly bits, but if you’ve worked through the course so far you’ll be fine. We’ll build two different swords using the same techniques, giving you plenty of practice with weaving, shaping and hammering.
The coiled coil is one of the most useful components in wire wrapping. Although it’s simple to make, it’s used throughout many designs and opens the door to a wide range of construction techniques. In this chapter we’ll learn how to make it by hand, produce it quickly on a drill and, most importantly, how to use it as part of a finished wire wrapped design
Every wire wrapper should know how to make a good coiled coil. It’s a simple technique, but one you’ll find throughout many jewellery designs. In this first lesson we’ll make them by hand, taking the time to understand how they work before moving on to faster methods later in the chapter.
Once you’re comfortable making coiled coils by hand, it’s time to speed things up. In this lesson you’ll learn how to make them on a drill, producing fast, consistent results while maintaining the same quality and control as the hand-made method
Making a coiled coil is only half the story. In this lesson we’ll look at different variations, explore the screw thread that runs through the centre and, most importantly, learn how to use it as part of a finished wire wrapped design.
Not every useful video fits neatly into the course structure. This chapter is home to the discussions, tips and techniques that don’t belong anywhere else but are still well worth your time. Think of it as the miscellaneous drawer at the bench—you never quite know what you’ll find, but there’s usually something useful inside.
Soldering isn’t about replacing wire wrapping, it’s another skill you can add to your toolbox. In this lesson I’ll show you the simple equipment I use, explain the basics of soldering and demonstrate how I create shapes and components that are later built into my wire wrapped designs.
One of the best habits you can develop is collecting interesting shapes to bend wire around. In this video I’ll explain why I do it, show you some of the objects I keep on the bench and hopefully encourage you to start building your own collection
Flat nose pliers are the first tool I reach for at the bench. In this video I’ll explain why I collect them, show you how different sizes become useful measurements and hopefully encourage you to start building your own collection.