Ring Tutorial- Basic Spiral and Stone Ring

I've decided that every Friday, I would like to try to do a tutorial. I have quite a few friends and family members aspiring to learn some wire-wrap techniques, so I decided to start creating some basic tutorials to help everyone along. 

This tutorial is for this basic spiral ring with a stone in the center.

Supplies needed- 

-8 to10 inches 20 Gauge wire

-1 4mm round stone

-A ring mandrel (or some type of rod)

-Wire snips

-Chain nose pliers

To Start, take your length of wire and lay it across the number of the size that you need your ring to be.

Bending the wire in half around the mandrel wrap each side around once.

Add the stone to the top length. (Sorry the pic is blurry)

Bend the bottom wire up and the top wire down.

Continue in this circling motion around the stone until you are satisfied with the thickness or you start to run low on wire.

Remove ring from mandrel and begin wrapping the wire around the base of the ring, like so...

Once Wrapped 2 or 3 times, give the wire a snip. Be sure that the snipped wire is on the top of the ring and not near the skin.

Repeat on the other side.

Tada! Your ring is done! Now that was easy huh? These rings are wonderful to sell while vending, I usually charge about $5 a piece for these.

Next Week's Project- 

Beaded Wrapped Stone Ring

Have fun! <3 Cassandra

Placenta Anyone?

As mentioned in my previous post, my business Home Baby Crafts is donating a special tree of life to the silent auction for the BIRTH! play in Syracuse. Well I finished it up today and figured I would give you all a tiny sneak peak into my studio. My first tree done completely in Solid Sterling Silver...drum roll.... The Placenta.

I know, I know, I usually don't like to reproduce similar pieces BUT this is a play and get together focusing completely around birth...how could I not make a placenta? After making my Handmade hoop I went on to twisting and beading my tree with gorgeous Swavorski crystals... So pretty!

The finished product was hung on a dainty 18" sterling silver chain with a 925 marked clasp. Retails at about $70. ^_^  Can you tell I'm excited? I wonder who the lucky auction winner will be? 

"The placenta is one of the most meaningful and beautiful trees of life ever created. It branches out connecting mother and child, cell to cell, vessel to vessel, nourishing the life that is growing in the womb. Respected and held sacred by many cultures throughout the world as a connector of spirits. This tree represents that connection."

<3 Cassandra

I have a bead (and wire) fetish

I'm so excited! I found an awesome place online that sells recycled solid sterling silver wire! Not only is it recycled but it is made in the U.S.A. and they buy back scraps! Heck Yeah! That made me one happy camper. They also sell gold filled and solid gold wire, but for now silver is the next step up in investment for me.  I took the plunge. 50 feet of chain, 100 marked silver clasps, jump rings, 30 feet 26g wire, and 5 feet 16g. ^_^

So now that I have all of this awesome sterling silver, I need to figure out what types of trees I am going to make with it all.... That is the fun part....The beads! I have a slight bead fetish. Every time I get an idea, I buy beads. Every time I am near a craft store, I buy beads. Every time I am online, I always start to browse, and do what? Buy beads...Dear lord, I am a true bead-a-holic... roughly 13,000 beads here... hehe ^_^;;

Hey, it could be worse! I have been trying to control the urge and use up a bit of my stock recently...but now that I have all this new wire, who knows how long I'll hold out. Anyone got the number for Bead-a-holics Anonymous?