Guardian Faeries or Angels, Wire Wrap Jewelry Tutorial

This is a cute quick little tutorial to make “Faerie” earrings or pendants. 'Dress' them up in holiday colors for Christmas, or in your favorite colors to wear year round. They make great earrings, pendants, and last minute gifts. They're even cute as a guardian Faerie (angel) charm hanging from the rear view car mirror, backpack or purse. This is an easy beginner project – basic jewelry terminology and making a simple wrapped loop are all the skills needed. You can download a full copy of the tutorial Guardian Faeries or Angels, here.

Materials suggested:Makes one Faerie

• (2) leaf, heart or teardrop shaped beads (feet)

• (2) 2” head-pins 24ga (ankles)

• (2) 2” eye-pins 24ga, and 1 3”eye-pin 22 or 20ga (legs and body)

• (2) 30mm long bugle beads (leggins)

• 1 “leafy” bead cap (skirt)

• (2) 6mm crystal rondelles (waist and crown)

• 1 wings charm (by Terra Cast)

• 1 each 4, 6, and 10 or 12mm round beads or crystal. (neck, tummy, and head)

• 1 6mm Margarita crystal (top of the crown)

• 1 pair ear wires for earrings, or large jump ring for pendant/charm.

• Tools needed:

  • Flush cutters; chain nose pliers; round nose pliers

Step 1: Gather your Faerie body parts - All the 'parts' are easily obtainable – please don't stress if they are not exactly what I have. Tons of supply sites on the internet carry similar components to what I used, and your Faerie will be unique to you. ☺

 

Step 2:Your Faerie's feet can be created with beads drilled top to bottom or top-drilled side to side. 

First thread a bead drilled top to bottom onto a 2” headpin. With your round nose pliers in your dominant hand, grasp the headpin just above the bead.

 

Step 3:Bend the wire towards you to about a 90 degree angle. The larger photo shows what this looks like from the side – notice the position of the pliers on the wire.

 

Step 4: Without actually taking the pliers off the headpin, reposition the pliers so the top jaw of the pliers is on top of the wire as shown. The bottom jaw of the pliers stays in the same place.

 

Step 5:Push the wire back and around the top jaw of the pliers until the wire is almost straight down against the bead.

 

Step 6:Without letting go of your work, switch the pliers to your non-dominant hand as shown.

 

Step 7:Bring the free end of the wire around the jaw of the pliers until it is perpendicular to the short section the bead is on.

The key to nice neat wraps, is having the free end of the wire perpendicular before wrapping towards the bead.

 

Step 8:Wrap the free end of the wire neatly until it reaches the bead.

 

Step 9: Neatly trim the wire next to the bead, and create another 'foot'.

 

Step 10: Thread your bugle beads onto 2” eye-pins for the legs, and then attach a foot to each leg.

 

Step 11:Trim the wire above the bugle beads to about 10mm.

 

Step 12:Use round nose pliers to turn a small loop in the wires just above the bugle beads. Don't create the loops TOO close to the bugle beads or you will break them.

 

Step 13:Attach the legs to the 3” eye-pin. Open the eye-pin similar to opening a jump ring – by turning the cut end of the loop to the side, and then back to close it.

 

Step 14: Now it's just a matter of threading the rest of your beads on the eye-pin in the right order. Start with the bead cap 'skirt'.

 

Step 15:Then thread on a rondelle (waist), a 6mm round bead (tummy), the wings, a 4mm round bead (neck), a 10 or 12mm round bead (head), another 6mm rondelle for the crown or halo, and a 6mm Margarita crystal.

 

Step 16:To finish off the Faerie, create another wrapped loop.

Place your round nose pliers just above the Margarita crystal.

 

Step 17:Bend the wire towards you.

 

Step 18: Reposition the top jaw of the pliers as you did in Step 4.

 

Step 19: Bend the wire back around the jaw of the pliers until it is almost touching the beads.

 

Step 20:Without letting go of your work, switch the pliers to your non-dominant hand.

 

Step 21:Bring the wire around the jaw of the pliers until it is perpendicular to the wire with beads.

 

Step 22:Then wrap the free end of the wire around the beaded wire.....

 

Step 23:…....until it touches the crystal.

 

Step 24: Trim the wire neatly above the crystal.

 

Step 25:Attaching a large jump ring to the loop you just finished, turns your Faerie into a great pendant. Or you could make a second Faerie, and attach ear wires for earrings.

Most if not all of the components I've used can be found at your local bead shop, Micheals, JoAnn Fabrics, or Hobby Lobby. You might even have more than you realize hiding in your own bead stash. The bead “skirt” can be found on Etsy by searching for “tulip flower bead cap”.

If you would like the full tutorial for these faerie/angels, which includes using top drilled beads and making your own eye-pins, you can find it 

here Guardian Faeries or Angels