> WIRE WONDERS: FLEXIBLE BRACELET WITHOUT ELASTIC CORD

First off, quick reminder: THE CONTEST IS STILL ON, PEOPLE! :)

That said, I'd like to talk about my favourite medium today: wire. 

In general, when you hear the word 'wire', I bet your mind conjurs up something strong, an inflexible and sturdy construct, wire links or maybe a stone firmly embedded within its wire bezel. All that is correct.

But!

Normally, when you need a wire link to connect two or more pieces of your project to shape the whole, the talk is about small pieces of wire, maybe funnily and intricately shaped. Those single pieces are quite strong and don't give much when pulled on from either direction, because of their size. But imagine the same link design, over and over, shaped from a single piece of wire. When you pull on the resulting wire chain, the links give. Not overmuch, ideally, but they do. 

Athena chain links forming a flexible wire cuff.

An easy way to achieve (more or less ;)) evenly spaced and formed loops, bends and twists with wire is to use a jig. Those usually consist of a block of plastic or metal with holes drilled into in a specific pattern. You put metal pegs into those holes and shape your wire around them.


The shape I chose for my Snowflake bracelet is called the Athena Link, because the most perfect form of it can be achieved on the WigJig Athena. It's a smaller jig, with holes arranged in an arrowhead pattern.

You can either add beads into the design while shaping it, making them sit directly on the link, or you can add the beads as dangling charms to the finished loops. I like it when a piece of jewelry keeps moving (only when intended to do so, of course) and jiggling, and the white pearls add a certain softness to the piece.

To close the cuff, you could either try to connect the first and last links somehow permanently, the cuff is flexible after all, or you can simply add a clasp in the same style or shape the first and last links as such.

Have a look round my shops for this and more wire inspirations.

Happy wire shaping! :)