Wire-Wrapped Herringbone Bead Pendant

1. Cut 6 inches of 20-gauge wire. Straighten and harden your wire by running it through your polishing cloth or your nylon jaw pliers.

2. Make a 90-degree angle bend with your chain nose pliers, about 2-1/2 inches down (figure A). Put down your chain nose pliers and pick up your round nose pliers. With your round nose pliers, grab the shorter segment and position your pliers flush up against the vertical side of your wire by the bend. Fold wire over the top of your round nose pliers. Release grip and reposition your round nose pliers, thus allowing you to continue folding your wire around your round nose pliers, forming another 90-degree angle where the shorter wire crosses over the vertical wire (figure B).

3. Rock your round nose pliers back and forth a little to adjust the loop, making it centered vertically with the vertical wire. Put down your round nose pliers.

4. With your bent nose pliers, grip the loop of your wire, and with your chain nose pliers, grip the small wire and wrap it around the long wire about eight times, making a good sized coil (figure C). Snip excess with your flush cutters, and crimp in sharp end with your bent nose pliers (figure D).

5. String one 8mm bead, one 4mm bead and two 3mm beads.

6. By using a ruler, or gauging the distance with your eyes, position your chain nose pliers away from the last bead added, at the same distance as the coil of wrapped wire on the other side of your 8mm bead (figure E).

7. Repeat step 2 to make a loop, and then coil the remaining wire up to the last bead. Snip excess with your flush cutters, and crimp in sharp end with your bent nose pliers. Next, with your bent nose pliers or chain nose pliers, squeeze the bottom loop next to your 3mm bead, tight (figure F).

8. Unravel about 1 foot of 26-gauge wire (or 24-gauge wire, depending on which thin wire you choose to work with) from the spool. Do not cut it! Secure the 26-gauge wire around the base of the coil, on top of the 8mm bead by wrapping it around that area two or three times (figure G).

9. Unraveling the wire from the spool as needed, continue wrapping the wire around one side of the bead, secure it to the base of the beads at the coil by wrapping over and under (figure H). Then wrap the wire around the other side of the bead, securing it to the coil above the beads by wrapping over and under (figure I). Continue doing this herringbone weave until you have achieved the look you desire for your herringbone leaf pendant. Go slowly and position your wire outlining your beads as you wrap (figure J).

10. Snip remaining wire with your flush cutters, and crimp your sharp ends into your work with your bent nose pliers or chain nose pliers.

11. Cut about 6 to 8 inches of 20-gauge wire. Straighten and harden the wire by pulling it through your polishing cloth or your nylon jaw pliers.