Step 1

Difficulty – Intermediate, may need a couple of attempts with low cost wire/stone before mastered.

• 3 x 25cm (10 inch) 0.6mm dead soft square wire
• 1 x 5-6cm (2 inch) scrap wire, approx 0.6mm
• wire cutters
• flat nose pliers
• masking tape
• 1 x cabochon, medium 15-25mm approx oval, pear or round. (For larger stones increase the wire accordingly)
• Optional extras, round nose pliers, files

Let's get started!

Tape the 3 lengths together and wrap them in the middle with the scrap wire from a previous cut-off, use the flat nose pliers to ensure the wraps are good and tight

Remove one of the tapes and then splay the wires out. Then take the middle wire and fold it over one of the outer wires

Then take the new middle wire and fold it over the other outer wire. Keep taking the new middle wire and fold it over the alternate outer wire until the plait length required, you should be about as long as half the circumference of the stone. Do not make the platted folds too tight, as you need to be able to form them later on.

Remove the other tape and repeat on the other side, try to get them to match in terms of tightness of the plait folds. Also, make sure that the first fold on the new side matches the first fold on the other side, this will give you your front. As shown in the picture the front is at the top of picture 5

Form the wire around the bottom of the stone, take your time with this and get it right, mistakes doing this bit are hard to put right and will make your piece look uneven. Then tape up the bottom half securely while you work on the top half

Separate the wires into 3 groups as shown, 3 wires shown vertically and taped will form the bale. One wire shown diagonally will wrap the bale and make the platted wired around the side of the stone good and tight. Two wires, shown horizontally will form the swirl. It doesn’t really matter which wires to use for each so just use your best judgment.

Make the bale by folding over the 3 vertical wires using either your flat nose or round nose pliers, then gently squeezing the platted wire on the sides of the stone take the diagonal wire and wrap in the bale, get it good and tight and gently use the pliers to make a good solid wrap.

Bring the 2 decoration wires around to the front and make the swirls using thumb and forefingers as described in the training DVDs. Ease over the platted wire at the front gently without deforming it at the front to grip the stone, do the same at the back except that you can be more forceful

Tape up the top half of the piece, then remove the tape from the bottom half and once again ease over the platted wire to grip the stone, again take extra care with the front of the piece

Tidy away loose wires at the back as shown, pressing them against the back firmly will grip the stone more

Show off you work, receive heaps of praise and sell for lots of money.