Wire Wrapped Pendant Setting
I'm sorry that it is taking me so long to put all these things together for you but Blogger is only letting me add so many pictures and then it stops working. Any way . . . to carry on from the last post.
Once I have moved the 2 side wraps into position I will fix them by giving them both a good squeeze with my flat nose pliers. Turning it over I give them another squeeze. That should keep them in place for me.
Offering the wrap up to the stone shows that it is roughly the right shape. The middle wraps are in the right place and I can tweak it if the central wrap has gone off centre.
I will start to form the setting from the back. I like to do the back first as it allows me to sit the stone in it for fitting. Gripping the bottom of the square wires with my flat nose pliers and holding the middle wrap I turn it inwards. I hold the middle because it helps me form a gentle arc with the bend.
As it is the back it isn't so important as when we form the front but it should be looking something like this.
I will now do the same to the other side exactly as the first turning the wire inwards. With every bend there is the chance that it will deform the frame so you have to keep offering it up to the stone and checking. It only takes seconds but it could mean a lot to your wrap.
Having formed the bottom I will move the upper 2 wraps into position near the top of the stone. Once I'm happy with where they are I will fix them in position as earlier with a squeeze either side with the flat nose pliers.
Just as I formed the bottom turns I will do the same with the top using my flat nose pliers. I will still grip the middle wrap between my thumb and finger to create a gentle curve.
And this is how it looks.
Moving to the other side I do the same bending inwards. If you are just starting out it's probably better to bend in less than you think you need as you can always tweak it a bit further.
Because I am using a cabochon it will be flat (ish) on the back and curved on the front. By placing my flat nose pliers into the bend I can ease the wires up allowing for the curvature of the stone. I need to for this for each bend.
The stone should now sit nicely in the setting so that it can be checked for alignment. Holding the top wires together like this I can see that the bottom isn't a tight fit. This can often be sorted by opening the setting and closing it again on the stone. If the gap is still too much a few gentle taps with a plastic headed hammer will fit it tight to the stone.
Sorry the image is a bit blurry but it does make it look like I'm hitting it with the hammer!
After a few taps the stone will be fitting much better. The sides aren't quite so important as they will be pulled in tight when closing the setting but if necessary I will turn it onto it's side for a few taps as well.
Removing the stone I need to form the front of the setting in the same way as the back. I probably won't bend them in quite so much as the back of the setting as that will seat the stone and I only need to hold it down. In bending the wires up to allow for the curvature of the stone I will need to pull them up further than the back. You have to be carfeul using tools this way as it is easy to leave marks on the wires if you use force. Gently lifting them will give you a better finish.
We are creating a cage to hold our stone in place and this is what it looks like once all the wires have been bent for the curvature of the stone.
Inserting the stone back in the setting it may need a little adjustment with the plastic hammer to get it to fit tightly. This is the last chance to make any adjustments to the setting or the placement of the stone as the next step will fix it all in place before making the bail. Taking a minute just to check it all over will save any mistakes later.
In the next post we will start work on the bail and adding some flourishes to make the wrap interesting and (hopefully) beautiful.
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