How to make a one bead wire ring using gold or silver wire

First you measure your 24 gauge gold or silver wire. The beading wire should be 14 inches, a normal ring is 10 inches and then the four extra inches are for the extra wrapping to make the ring thicker and sturdier.

Put the bead that you are using for your ring at the halfway point of the wire. Fold the wire right against each side of the bead to hold the bead in place. Start the ring as a size 8 using a ring sizer tube. Wrap wire around 2 times each side to give you four bands. Keep your bottom wire on the bottom and your top wire on the top. Then wrap each of the two wires around the bead at the front until you end up with a short piece of wire on each end. Then slide the ring of the ring sizer tube.

Wrap the short piece of wire along each end of the ring. Make it look clean by squeezing it with the end of the flat nosed plier. Use a nylon jaw pliers to straighten out the wires so they lie flat. When done trim off the ends with a cutter. It is better if you end your jewelry piece at the top of the band. Then hammer it slightly to make it sturdier.

Mount Sinai Bead Party Fundraiser

We recently did a fundraiser to raise money for Mount Sinai Hospital
in Toronto.

A group of 8 year old girls contacted us telling us that they had
started a beading club to make bracelets to sell at Mount Sinai
Hospital and all proceeds raised would be given to the hospital.
The girls wanted to know if we could teach them how to make bracelets.

We thought it was a great idea and a great cause, so we had a beading
party with them where we taught them how to string beads using
.45 mm tiger tail wire and we finished off the bracelets with silver plated
toggle clasps using the crimping technique.

Below are some photos we took showing the bracelets that we made.
We had a great time with the girls and wish them much success in
selling their bracelets for this great cause.

Check out some additional pictures at our Mount Sinai beading party gallery.

How to make a wire-wrapped bracelet

Video reference: Aunties Beads

This video shows how to make a wire-wrapped bracelet. This is the type of beading project that we do at our adult bead parties. It is absolutely stunning when completed.

The tools that you need are a round-nosed plier, chain-nosed plier and the nibbler tool. This bracelet looks best if you use large beads and 6mm spacer beads. The amount that you will need depends on the size of the wrist that you are making this bracelet for. You will also need 7mm closed jump rings, a sterling silver 22mm gage wire and an s clasp.

First thing you do is take the wire and make a loop using the round-nosed pliers, slip on a jump ring, and then start wrapping the wire at the base of the loop three or four times.

Next string onto the wire your spacer bead, large bead, and another spacer bead. At the end of the three beads make a loop, put in the jump ring and wrap the wire around three or four times. Keep doing this until you have the desired length of your bracelet. Remember, depending on the size of your clasp you may want to make your bracelet a little bit shorter because the clasp adds length.

To add the clasp, make a loop at the end of your bracelet, put one end of the s clasp in and firmly close it with your chain -nosed pliers. Make a loop at the other end of your bracelet. This loop will slip on the other end of the s clasp to close your bracelet while you are wearing it.

Watch the video to see a more detailed step-by-step tutorial of how to make this bracelet.

Happy beading!

Developmental Benefits of Beading for Children

by Kimberly Voaden, OT Reg. (Ont.)

As an Occupational Therapist with over 5 years experience working with children of all ages, I can endorse beading as an excellent leisure activity, promoting childrens' development in the following areas:

Fine Motor Skills:

Grasping: Various sizes of beads promote different grasps. Larger beads often promote the "3-jaw chuck" grasp, similar to holding a large pencil or marker. Smaller beads encourage children to use their pincer grasp, thus strengthening the small muscles of their hands.

In-hand manipulation skills: Many components of making a beaded craft increase strength and coordination in the small hand and finger muscles. For example, picking a bead up from the beading tray, and then manipulating it in one's hand until it is pinched between your thumb and finger, involves translation, shift and rotation movements of the bead within the hand.

Visual Perceptual Skills:

Visual discrimination, Scanning, visual memory: The child must be able to remember the beading pattern to determine the bead they want to use. Once they know what bead they want, visual discrimination assists them in selecting the bead that fits their mental image of the desired bead. Finally, the child must scan across many different beads before finding the desired bead.

Visual Motor Skills:

Hand-eye coordination: Threading beads onto a string involves bilateral coordination of the child's hands, and requires their eyes and hands to work together.

Cognitive Skills:

Planning: What style of necklace does the child want to make? What pattern will they choose? Where are all the needed to complete this beading activity? By answering these questions, the child develops his/her planning and problem-solving skills.

Math skills: How long will my necklace, bracelet, or keychain need to be? How many beads do I need to complete this project? How can I create and maintain this beading pattern? Encouraging children to think through these functional math problems is a motivating way to improve academic skills in this area.