Quick lampwork bead ring

You will need: • 14” sterling or copper wire. I use 1mm

(18ga) • A lampwork bead (this is one of Sally

Carver’s) with a bead hole large enough to take two pieces of the wire

• A pair of flat or chain nose pliers • a mandrel of some sort (a dowel, thick

marker pen etc works fine)

Find the approximate middle of the wire and wrap it round the mandrel so there are three loops and the ends meet at the front. The size of the finished ring will be slightly smaller than this (between 1 and 2 sizes with a ring mandrel).

Use your chain nose pliers to bend both ends of wire up at 90degrees

Slip the bead onto the wire, press it snugly against the coils and bend both ends in the same direction.

Put your thumb on top of the coil, grasp both ends of the wire (making sure they don’t cross) and gently work it round, under your thumb, making one full spiral

The two ends need to be both end up parallel to the coils of the ring

Take the inner wire only and continue the spiral until it’s on the opposite side of the bead

One at a time, bend each end wire down the side of the bead and continue round the base of the bead to the opposite part of the shank

Wrap the end of the wire three times round the coils, finishing on the inside. Trim the ends, file if necessary

Push firmly back onto the mandrel to straighten the wires of the ring.

et voila!

www.designedbygeorge.co.uk 2009