Intro to Wire Jewelry

Creative Crafts with Ms. Papot

• One of oldest forms of jewelry making - examples of Mesopotamian wire jewelry date back to 2000 BC

• Fashionable for men and women

• Popular items included necklaces with precious stones, gold earrings, ankle bracelets, silver hair rings, gold medallion pendants, rings

History of Wire Wrapped Jewelry

Mesopotamian Wire Jewelry

"“Queen Pu-abi’s beaded cape, belt, and jewelry. The circle on the lower left is her garter; on the lower right is her wrist cuff (bracelet).”

"A female attendant found in the Great Death Pit at the Royal Tombs at Ur. Often mistaken for Queen Pu-abi because of all the jewelry, this attendant is one of 26 others found wearing such adornments."

earrings and pendants

chain necklaces, bracelets

rigid jewelry (no chains, not flexible)

rings

Important vocabulary words / concepts ...

• Gauge = wire diameter (thickness)

• As diameter increases, gauge decreases

Which is thicker?

24 gauge or 18 gauge wire

Wire Gauges

• P loop and eye loop

• Jump rings

• Egyptian coils

• hook-and-eye clasps

Wire elements we'll learn to make include ...

• bales

• wraps

... and more!

Wire elements we'll learn to make include ...

• Round nosed pliers

• Flat nosed pliers

• Wire cutters

• Jig

Tools

• Experiment with a variety of wire jewelry tools and techniques

• Research wire jewelry

• Create an original piece or set of jewelry that includes multiple techniques learned in class

Our goals