O Christmas Tree Charm

While I was filling out holiday cards for the family business the other day, one of them had a simple tree that seemed to have been done with one brush stroke and it caught my eye. Here is my version, made by using only round wire and round nose pliers. Slip the finished charm onto a ribbon and it will make a wonderful Christmas pendant gift for a co-worker, the mail lady or a child's teacher; or make a matching pair and add French ear wires for a festive pair of earrings!

Designed by Suzanne Hollingsworth

Skill Level: Beginner/All

Technique: Round Wire & Round Nose Pliers

Materials

• 21 Gauge Round Half-Hard or Soft Wire, 12"
• 1  6mm round faceted Bead, or bead of your choice

Tools

• Round Nose Pliers
• Wire Cutters
• Chasing Hammer
• Bench Block

Instructions

1. Straighten, measure, and cut one 12-inch piece of 21-gauge round wire. Use round nose pliers to make a basic "eye" loop at one end. Slide on one 6mm round/faceted bead.



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2. Just under the bead, use round nose pliers to bend the wire at a 90° to one side, away from the bead. About ¼ inch away from this bend use round nose pliers to add another 90°-looped bend, criss-crossing over itself and heading back toward and past the bead by about ¼ inch. Repeat the looped bend again, this time going beyond the very first looped bend by about 1/8 inch.



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3. Continue making looped bends, each segment being just a bit further than the previous.



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4. When your tree is as large as you like, (or until you have about 2 inches of wire left), bring the wire down at a 90° angle and use round nose pliers to roll up the "trunk." Finish by making a small closed loop at the very end of the wire.





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5. Your tree should resemble this one.



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6. Now take your tree to the bench block and use a chasing hammer to flatten and smooth each of the looped bends around the edges.

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