Daily Wire Tip Oct. 5: Connecting Stones with Wire

Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
October 5, 2011

Question:

Dale, I’ve seen photos of your beautiful pieces with multiple stones and would like to know how to connect such stones and create something similar. Also, I have some collar stones and need some suggestions on what to do with them as wire-wrapped pieces.

-Betty in Jack, Mississippi

Answer:

Hi Betty, the best advice I can give you on this one is to look through my book, Wirework: An Illustrated Guide to the Art of Wire Wrapping, taking special notice of the "Gem Drop Earrings," the cover bracelet, and the "Drop Necklace Base Design." Practice each of these projects to find out how to make and use different types of connections loops. Then, plan out your own design and combine the techniques you learned to create your own multi-stone pieces! For additional inspiration, check out the Gallery on my personal website.

The collar stones you mentioned are easy! If you can’t figure out the procedure from the image on the page detailing the DVD, then pick up Beginner DVD #5 and have fun!!

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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5 Comments

1. 

   Korolyn Pogue

   October 5, 2011 at 11:17 am

   It seems like the answers are getting more and more just to sell your DVDs. I understand that the detail needed may be addressed better in the DVD but a few pictures or more overview of the process would be helpful and a better teaser for getting the DVD. I do this strictly for a hobby, just have time for a few pieces a year. I have the beginning set of your DVDs but I am not ready to invest more. But I read the daily questions to get an idea of what can be done, maybe entise me to do more than I am already making. These kind of answers makes me less interested in doing wire jewelry, not more.
   • 

     dalecgr

     October 5, 2011 at 5:44 pm

     Korolyn, I am very sorry that my answer to this particular question did not please you, however to go into all of the details about how different connections are made and all of the techniques involved, depending on the size and shapes of stones used, components needed, etc – I would be writing several patterns as the tip! All of the information on this blog, including many video tips showing “how” to perform techniques, is 100% Free! As well as more than 60 stepped out patterns via our Free Patterns email subscription, there are 3 full length Free video patterns on the site that you can watch as many times as you would like, and we have a page full of Free patterns available on the actual Wire-Sculpture site!! If you have worked through the Beginner series, then you should have a really good idea as to how many different techniques there are, and now it is time for you to experiment by combining them.
2. 

   Dorothy

   October 7, 2011 at 6:45 pm

   “The laborer is worthy of his hire.” In this case, the laborer is Dale, and it is unfair to expect her to give away the information she sells to make her living. Tips are helpful, but they are just that: TIPS! By nature, they are fairly brief, and do not give detailed information for individual pieces. That’s what a tip is. Dale is more than reasonable to expect people to buy the more involved DVD’s. They are her work product – part of her stock in trade. It would be unreasonable to expect otherwise.
   • 

     dalecgr

     October 8, 2011 at 2:37 am

     Have a lovely weekend Dorothy !!
     Dale
3. 

   Dena Ellison

   October 8, 2011 at 11:00 pm

   To get to the point where you can start joining multiple stones and/or other components, you have to have a good working knowledge of the basic skills. Once you have worked with those skills for a while you start to see how multiple stones and/or components can be combined in your own unique way, and you can design your own pieces. As Dorothy said, if you want to recreate someone else’ designs, which are their intellectual property, it is reasonable for them to expect payment.