Herringbone Bracelet

Skill Level: Advanced Intermediate

Techniques: Herringbone Bead and Spiral Links

Sue Beck was a runner-up in our 2009 contest with her freeform pendant design. The possibilities that you can create with a simple wire bundle are endless - and here is a lovely example of a shaped bundle that you can adorn with beads of your choice.

**Tip: If you prefer, you can use 21g round wire for the links, and either leave them smooth or hammer them slightly. For larger wrists, allow extra wire.

Materials

• 76 Inches 21 Gauge Square Half-Hard Gold Filled Wire
• 4 4mm Swarovski Beads
• 1 6mm Swarovski Beads

Tools

• Chain Nose Pliers
• Flat Nose Pliers
• Round Nose Pliers
• Angle Cutters
• Pin Vise or Automatic Wire Twister
• Ruler
• Ultra Fine Point Marker

Instructions

1. Cut and twist 50” of 21g square ½ hard wire. Although you can use a pin vise to twist it, I prefer a slow speed drill for this much wire.
   

2. Measure and mark 4” from one end of wire. With round nose pliers make a wrapped loop with approximately 12 turns to measure ½” of wraps. The loop itself needs to be large enough to act as the “eye” of the hook/eye clasp. Note: because you started with ½ hard wire and twisted it, you have work hardened your wire even more and your wraps will not be very pretty in this step. Not to worry, they will be covered up later.
   
   
   

3. Thread on 2-4mm Swarovski beads, 1-6mm Swarovski bead, and 2-4mm Swarovski beads. Measure and mark ½ “ from the end of the beads and make a mark.
   
   

4. Complete the wrapped loops as before.
   
   

5. Hold the beaded unit so the wrap wire is pointing up and over the base wire. Take this wire around the beads, over the base wire for one loop. Your wire will now be ready to do the same thing on the other side of the beads. (At this point I like to turn my work so I am always working left to right.)
   
   
   

6. Bring your wire around the side of the beads; make a complete loop going over the base wire, around under it, and back on top. Your wire will now be in position to add another strand next to the very first you added.
   
   

7. Continue going beside the beads, making a wrap, beside the beads, making a wrap, until you reach the ends of the base wire. Trim and tuck your wrap wire.
   
   

8. For a 7.5” bracelet you will need 6 spiral links at 3.5” of wire plus 1 hook link at 4” of wire. Adjust accordingly to your size wrist. A shortcut is to cut and twist a long piece of wire, and then cut your unit lengths from that. For example, I need 6 units at 3.5” each, 1-hook unit at 4”, so I cut 26 (25 with an added inch just in case), twisted it, then cut my link lengths.
   

9. With a piece of the 3.5” wire, using your round nose pliers make a very small loop at the end.
   
   

10. Changing to your flat nose, make a spiral 4 wires wide.
    
    
    

11. Using your pliers as a measuring tool, measure the width of your pliers and make a bend. The exact measurement is not important, as long as you are consistent with all the links. My pliers make a bend that ends up being about ⅝ up the side of the wire, or about ¼ “ from the top of the loop to the apex of the bend. Yours may vary depending on your pliers.
    
    

12. Bring your wire down to lay against the other side of the spiral. Note in the picture I cut my wire long for photographic purposes. Yours will be shorter.
    
    

13. Continue to curve wire to the bottom of the spiral. Using your flat nose pliers, make a 90° bend in the wire.
    
    
    

14. Make a closed loop going in the opposite plane from the spiral. Trim wire.
    
    
    

15. Make the rest of your links, taking care that the closed loop faces the same way on all of the links.
    

16. Make your hook. Make a spiral link as before, but instead of making a “point” at the top, continue the curve to the center of the top of the spiral, bend up at 90 degrees, then back down making the hook part approximately ¾”.
    
    

17. Continue as for a spiral link, taking the wire to the back of the spiral and making a loop perpendicular to the spiral as you did on all the links before.
    
    

18. With your round nose pliers positioned in the center of your long hook portion, bend that portion back onto itself to form the actual hook. Be sure the hook opens in the same direction as the loop made earlier. See picture.
    
    

19. Make a little bend at the tip of the hook with your round nose pliers to complete the hook.
    
    

20. Optional: While holding the loop of your links off the bench block, slightly flatten the spiral portion with a chasing hammer. Do not do this to the hook, just the links.
    
    

21. Put everything together. The loop of each link will connect to the pointed end of the next link. One loop will attach to one side of the herringbone wrap, leaving the hook to attach to the other side of the herringbone wrap.
    
    
    

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