Make a Ring from Scrap Wire & a Bead

Rings are a great fashion accessory. Rings require little metal and are a great project to make with limited resources. You can make a wire wrapped ring using scrap wire leftover from other projects and a bead or two.  

Materials
16-gauge copper wire
Lampwork glass bead(s),


Tools
Ring mandrel
Raw hide hammer or plastic mallet,
Cup burr or needle file
Tumbler &  stainless steel shot (optional)

Step 1
Assemble your tools and materials. In our example, we used 16-guage copper wire, but scrap wire in gold, silver, brass or any other nonferrous metal can be used to make a ring. Similarly, different gauge wires can be substituted if you want a ring with a finer or heavier look. Select the lampwork bead, checking to be sure the wire will fit through the bead.

Step 2

Check ring size

Measure your finger or the finger of the person for whom you would like to make the ring.  Use a ring that fits well and slide the ring onto the ring mandrel to measure ring size if you do not have a ring sizer.

Step 3
Slide the focal bead onto the wire.

Step 4
Wrap the wire around the ring mandrel the number of times needed for your wire wrapped ring. Fit the wire through the bead each time you wrap. In our example, we show rings with one, two and three wraps.

Step 5
Check the ring as you work to be sure the ring is sized  correctly.

Step 6
Stop wrapping with the ends of the wire close to the bead. Tuck the wire ends under the bead and trim any excess.

You can also bend the ends of the wire up to hold the bead so that they look like prongs. If you chose to use the prong method for your wire wrapped ring, then be sure to file the prong tips with a cup burr or needle file so that the prongs are not sharp.

Step 7
Harden the wire of your wire wrapped ring so the ring will maintain its shape. Harden the wire by hitting the wire with a raw hide hammer or plastic mallet. You can also place the completed wire wrapped rings into a tumbler with stainless steel shot to burnish and harden the wire so the wire wrapped rings hold their shape.

Happy Beading!

Make a Ring from a Spoon

Go to almost any yard sale and you will find pieces of mismatched flatware. Rings upcycled from vintage or antique sterling silver or silver-plated spoons and other flatware are easy to construct. Spoon rings are clever, ageless jewelry.

Jewelry saw

Step 1
Select an old spoon to use to create a ring. Vintage and antique sterling silver or sterling plate flatware work particularly well and will make interesting jewelry.

Step 2
Determine the size ring you need by measuring your finger or the finger of the person for whom you plan to make the ring. If you do not have a ring sizing tool, take a piece of paper and wrap it around the finger for which you plan to make the ring. Mark and cut the paper to the ring size needed.

Step 3
Place the sizing paper on the decorative end of the spoon. Cut the spoon to size using a jewelry saw.

Sanding sponges

Step 4
File the end of the cut metal until quite smooth, then use sand paper or sanding sponges until the metal is smooth enough to be worn as a ring. You can use traditional files and sand paper or a flex shaft and sanding tools to smooth and then sand the metal.

Butane torch

Step 5
Anneal the metal cut from the spoon with a torch, to soften the metal and make forming the ring easier. If you do not have a torch, you can still form the ring but the metal will be more difficult to move and shape.

Form spoon into ring

Step 6
Form the ring by wrapping the cut metal around a ring mandrel at the size needed. Use a forming mallet to shape.

Step 7
Finish the ring by buffing and polishing to a high shine. You can leave the spoon ring shiny or you can chose from a variety of alternate finishes. For example, you can add a mat or scratch finish. You can also add color through patina or enamel.

Make a Ring from a Button

Before: Button

Buttons come in many shapes, sizes and colors. If you are like us, you or someone in your family has a box of old mismatched buttons just waiting to be used or made into something fabulous. Buttons are great for making jewelry. When we were sifting through our button box looking for a button to repair a jacket we spotted this little gem and thought: ring.

Materials
Button
18-gauge brass wire

Tools

After: Button Ring by GeltDesigns.com

Ring mandrel
Wire cutter
Needle files
Chain nose pliers

Step 1
Determine ring size.

Slide button on wire

Step 2
Cut about 12-inches of wire using wire cutters. Slide the button onto the center of the wire.

Step 3

Wrap wire around mandrel

Wrap the wire around the ring mandrel at the marker for the ring size needed. Take care that the button remains centered as you wrap.

Wrap the wire three times around the mandrel so the wire with the button is the center wire.

Step 4

Wrap around button shank

Wrap the excess wire around the shank of the button. Wrap with one side of the wire to create two complete wraps. Wrap with the other side of the wire to complete to more wraps. The shank of the button should be covered and the button sits on a seat.

Step 5

Back of button ring

Trim any excess wire with the wire cutters. File the ends of the wire smooth using needle files. Tuck the wire ends under the wire near the shank using chain nose pliers so the ends are hidden.

Related Tutorials
Make a Leather & Button Bracelet
Make a Button Bracelet
Make Button Earrings
Make a Chain and Button Bib Necklace

Further Reading
"Jewelry Studio: Wire Wrapping"; Linda Chandler, Christine Ritchey
 "Wirework: An Illustrated Guide to the Art of Wire Wrapping"; Dale Armstrong; 2009.
"Inspired Wire: Learn to Twist, Jig, Bend, Hammer, and Wrap for the Prettiest Jewelry Ever"; Cynthia B. Wuller; 2008.

Day 108. Month 5. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: buttons
New Jewelry a Day. 

Make a Ring from a Silver Liberty Mercury Dime

Piggy bank!

We collect coins. No, we are not serious collectors. Rather, we are the sort of collectors who throw pennies in a piggy bank-- a real piggy bank shaped like a piggy-- and then on a stormy day when the power is out, we all sit around the table sorting through the pennies to see if there is anything special.

We've been sorting coins sporadically for years -- since luckily for us the power does not go out very often. That is how we found this silver liberty mercury dime.

Penny sorting time!

The coin was so dark it looked like a penny... but the small size made it clear this was no penny. As the kids say, "score!" My daughter and I claimed the silver liberty mercury dime and decided the coin would make a really nice ring.

Materials
Silver liberty mercury dime
16-gauge round or half-round sterling silver wire
Hard silver solder

After: Mercury Dime Ring by GeltDesigns.com

Tools
Ring mandrel
Rawhide mallet
Soldering torch & equipment
Annealing pan
Charcoal block
Flux

Soldering pick
Sparex acid pickle
Pickle pot
Copper tongs
Wet/dry sandpaper
Tumbler

Step 1

Form the sterling silver ring

Measure for ring size. Form the ring from the sterling silver wire in the size needed using a ring mandrel and a rawhide mallet. We used half-round sterling silver wire since it is more comfortable for a ring and we had some in our scrap pile, but you can use round wire and wire in a different gauge if you prefer. Check the ring for size before soldering. Solder the ring closed.

Step 2
Anneal the dime. Place the dime on the charcoal block on your annealing pan. Heat the dime until it is annealed using your torch. You can tell the dime reached the annealing temperature because the metal of the dime turns cherry red. Do not overheat. Cool the dime and pickle to remove any oxidation formed when annealing. Rinse off the pickle with water.

Step 3
Form the dime. Place the dime on the ring mandrel. Shape the dime so it is the same arc as the ring. To do so, place the dime on the ring mandrel at the same size as the ring. Position the dime so the line for the ring size is in the center of the dime.  Hit the dime with the raw hide mallet. The shape will be sloped. To even out the dime, turn the dime over so it faces the opposite way and hit the dime again with the rawhide

Finished Mercury Liberty Dime Ring by GeltDesigns.com

mallet. Continue to move the dime until the shape is perfected and the dime sits flush against the top of the ring.

Step 4
Solder the ring to the dime. Pickle. Remove the ring from the pickle using copper tongs and rinse off the pickle with water. Sand away any excess solder, if any.

Step 5Tumble the ring to harden and burnish the sterling silver ring and silver mercury dime.

Related Tutorials 
Make Hammered Copper Earrings from Washers
Make a Pendant from a Copper Washer
Thoughts on Soldering Torches & Other Equipment
Soldering for Jewelry Makers
Solve Your Soldering Problems

Further Reading: Soldering
"Hot Connections Jewelry: The Complete Sourcebook of Soldering Techniques"; Jennifer Chin; 2011.
"Soldering Made Simple: Easy techniques for the kitchen-table jeweler";  Joe Silvera; 2010.
"Step-by-Step Jewelry Workshop: Simple Techniques for Soldering, Wirework, and Metal Jewelry"; Nicola Hurst; 2008.
"Complete Metalsmith: Professional Edition";  Tim McCreight; 2004.

Further Reading: Coins
"A Guide Book of United States Coins 2011: The Official Red Book"; R. S. Yeoman, 2011.
"Coin Collecting For Dummies";  Neil S. Berman, Ron Guth
"2011 Hand Book of United States Coins: The Official Blue Book (Handbook of United States Coins (Paper))"; R. S. Yeoman; 2010.
"Coin Collecting for Kids"; Steve Otfinoski; 2007.
"The Everything Coin Collecting Book: All You Need to Start Your Collection And Trade for Profit (Everything Series)";  Richard Giedroyc; 2006.

Day 104. Month 5. Jewelry from Found Objects.  $ spent: 0
Found materials: Mercury Liberty Dime, scrap silver wire
New Jewelry a Day.