Materials…

• 20 gauge (0.8mm) copper wire
• 22 gauge (0.6mm) copper wire
• Ring mandrel
• Round-nosed and chain-nosed pliers
• Side-cutters
• Metal file

To create…

Note: As the ring band features three strands of wire laid side by side we have used thinner wire than normally associated with this type of work. You can use a smaller gauge wire as desired but bear in mind the swirls will be trickier to form.

1 Cut three 180mm lengths of 0.8mm wire and gently file the ends smooth. Hold the wires together then stagger them by about 12mm lengthways so that the two outer wires are longer or shorter at each end.

2 Bind the wires together about 65mm from one end using a 150mm piece of 0.6mm wire. Leave the wrapping wire end sticking out away from the main wires and ensure that the start of the binding wire is trimmed short and squashed snug to the binding.

3 Shape the three wires around your ring mandrel at the appropriate place for your ring size (you can slide a suitable ring on to the mandrel and mark the position with a pen) ensuring the binding wire is on the outside of the ring.

4 Once you are happy with the size and roundness of the ring, bring the binding wire around the whole ring to pull the two groups of wires together then wrap the other end of the three wires to match the first binding. Snip the wire off and squash the end snug to the ring.

5 Using chain-nosed pliers, bend the two short outside wires on each end of the ring out at 90 degrees to the ring band and the two long outside wires through about 120 degrees.

6 Using round-nosed pliers, curl the end of each wire into a tight loop. Hold the loop flat in chain-nosed pliers and rotate in small degrees, repositioning your pliers regularly to create a spiral.

Project by Judith Hannington. Originally published in Creative Beads & Jewellery issue 2.