Wire Wrapping small loose stones?!

[Former_Member]

I'm doing this custom order from one of my friends, he wants several small stones wire wrapped into a ring. They don't have holes and I'm scared I won't be able to wire wrap them securely, since they're so small.
Any tips or techniques?

[Former_Member]

Paula, what shape are the stones? And how small is small?

[Former_Member]

It all depends on how small the stones are, but I would recommend using 24 gauge or smaller wire to create a cage to encompass the stone. Take four strands and tape them together into a bundle. With your needle nose pliers, pull out each wire, in the middle of the bundle, creating a bulbous cage a little larger than the stone. Lightly move two of the wires aside and place the stone in the bulbous cage. Move the two bent wires back to their original position. Once the stone is positioned to your pleasing, twist the wires on both ends of the cage, which will clench down on the stone, giving a tight fit. Snip the ends of the wires to whichever length needed and file to a uniform surface at each end of the twisted wire bundle. From there you can get creative and attach the stone cage to a ring.

Hope this helps.

-William

[Former_Member]

Maybe you could try drilling holes? Hands and, subsequently, rings, move around a lot and get a lot of wear. I'd say the chances of having stones fall out would be pretty high in a wire wrap.

[Former_Member]

Maybe you could try a ring, basket the small stones then attached that basket to a ring mount.

OR do both a ring and a pendant then he could decide once he see's the finished product.

Often customer have no concept of your time, your process or your materials used to create a piece. Its certainly okay to pass on a request.....many more request will head your way.

If you are interested in sharing and learning more about rocks and lapidary techniques we've started a team:

http://www.etsy.com/teams/15186/jewelry-lapidary-gems-beads-jlgb

Come join.
Mickey

[CoyoteRainbow]

Depends on the size and shape of the stones!
A small smooth round stone will be harder to find something to grab hold of on, as opposed to something more raw or angular
i love having a huge selection of stones on hand to choose from so i can meet whatever might work best for a particular project

[Former_Member]

Coyote is right about the roughness of a stone, makes it much easier to wrap. I like using gold filled or sterling bell caps to use on my smaller tumbled stones.

Handy for bracelets and ear drops too. Probably not work for ring tho'.
This is a close-up image to show you.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/121096137/crudeco-metaphysical-laguna-agate