For a neat and secure way of linking components together, the wrapped loop will give your handmade jewellery a professional finish. Wrapped loops are especially useful when using heavier beads such as lampwork beads. For a more organic look or homespun feel, you can make the wraps a little messy to add some visual interest. You'll need the following tools: flat nose pliers round nose pliers flush cutters crimping tool or chain nose pliers Cut a piece of wire measuring 7.5cm (3"). Grip the wire with flat nose pliers at the 3cm (1 1/4") mark. Bend the wire at a 90° angle. Remove the flat nose pliers and place round nose pliers in the neck of the bend. Grip the tail of the wire with your fingers and wrap it around the top jaw of the pliers to form a loop. Keep wrapping the wire around the jaws until the loop is complete. The wire should now cross in front of the neck and sit perpendicular to it. Remove the round nose pliers and hold the loop in the jaws of the flat nose pli......

There are times when you want your handmade earrings to have a more sleek and modern look and using elfin   earring wires  (aka elven or almond earring wires) can do just that. It's easy to source shepherd hooks or french earring wires but finding elfin earring wires is a little more difficult so this tutorial will show you how to quickly and easily make your own. And the beauty is, you can make them in any colour or size to suit your design. So, grab your jewellery making pliers and let's get started. Here's what you'll need: Two 41mm eye pins Flat nose pliers A ring mandrel (or other round form to shape the earrings - a 3/4" diameter bottle works well) Cup burr tool or a metal file Permanent marker Ruler Baby wipe or methylated spirits (denatured alcohol, rubbing alcohol or similar) Place the eye pin around the outside of the ring mandrel with the loop sitting perpendicular to the mandrel. You will need to press it firmly around the form so that it is......

In my last Jewellery Know How post I showed you one of the common reasons why jewellery falls apart. Today I'm going to show you another one - poorly formed or poorly closed eye pin loops. If you're a jewellery maker, then learning how to form a loop will be a mainstay of your jewellery making skills. Mastering this technique will ensure your jewellery is strong and secure. There are a few different ways to make eye loops but today I'm going to show you the method I use and the two slightly different loop shapes it will give you. Buy yourself a spool of inexpensive, 20 gauge copper wire so that you can practice without ruining all your eye and head pins whilst you're perfecting your loops. Copper wire is soft and malleable which will make practising easy. Avoid hard wires like steel as they can be difficult to work with. You can use 22 gauge wire if you have it on hand. Here's what you'll need: Soft 20 gauge wire Flat nose pliers or Chain nose pliers Round nose......

In my last post, we took a look at the humble but mighty jump ring. It really is the "glue" that holds your jewellery together. The step by step photos and instructions show you how to open and close jump rings and talks about the magical "click" you hear when a correctly tensioned jump ring closes. But no matter how good the photos are at showing you how to do it, you will never be able to hear that click. To remedy that, I've uploaded a short YouTube video so that not only can you see the process but you can also hear that magical "click". Check it out below. So if you want your jewellery to be strong and secure, just follow this simple tip and you'll have jewellery that never falls apart again! 'Til next time..... If you can't get enough of My Tutorials and you want even more inspiration,  click here to find my books and printable pdfs...

If you've ever experienced that dreadful moment when your store bought jewellery has fallen apart and beads have scattered across the floor, then today's post is just for you. Let's take a look at the humble jump ring and how a simple trick will help you make (or repair!) jewellery so that it doesn't fall apart. But firstly, what's the most common reason that jewellery falls apart? Well, it's often a poorly closed jump ring! Jump rings hold your jewellery together so it makes sense to pay special attention to them. When you purchase round jump rings, they need to be, well...... round!  Mis-shapen jump rings will not close tightly and therefore won't make your jewellery secure. So you need to find a good supplier.  And you might need to pay a little more for them. I usually use Beadalon jump rings because I've found them to be consistently round-shaped. Another option is to make your own. You can see how to do that here . How to Open and Close Jump Rings......

Did you know that jump rings don't always have to be round? Sometimes, a round jump ring just won't go through the hole of a bead. Take these gorgeous Czech glass leaves. I really love to dangle them as charms but with their holes drilled from side to side you can't use a head pin to hang them. So here's the solution - use a triangle jump ring. Making your own triangle jump rings is really easy with a couple of very basic tools: flush cutters for cutting the wire and wide, flat nosed pliers to form the jump rings. Flat nosed pliers give you really sharp bends and I find the width of the plier jaws gives me consistently sized triangles. You'll need some wire such as 22 gauge or heavier but ultimately, the diameter of the hole in the bead will determine what size wire you need to use. I find it easier to form triangle jump rings on the spool of wire and then cut them off after they've been formed. Start by creating the left hand base prong. Hold the end of the wi......