Arts & Crafts

Wire-Wrapped Jewelry Making

Meets Tuesdays · 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM · on Zoom Fall 2026 · registration open Free to audit

This class runs in the Fall 2026 session. Registration is open now; lessons, materials, and the class discussion board are posted before it begins.

This is a no-solder class for adults who want to try making jewelry without any melting metal or fancy equipment. We shape wire with our hands and a few pliers, and over six Tuesday evenings you'll learn to make loops, coils, spirals, and simple settings, and you'll finish two pairs of earrings or a pendant to take home. We start with copper because it's forgiving and you learn faster when you're not scared of wasting it. I'm self-taught and still figuring parts of it out, which I think helps beginners, because I remember exactly what tripped me up. Bring a rock you found up the canyon if you have one. Come nervous, that's fine. You'll leave with a finished piece in your hand.

What you'll learn

Bend copper wire into clean simple loops
Create wrapped loops with even, controlled tension
Cage and set a cabochon or odd-shaped stone
Build a wire-wrapped pendant with a finished back
Make a matching pair of earrings from scratch

Lessons

Getting Started Without Being Scared of It
We meet the tools, the wire, and each other, and you make your first bends on copper you're allowed to ruin.
Loops and Why Everyone Struggles With Them
The loop is the piece everything hangs on, so we slow way down and practice until it stops fighting you.
Coils, Spirals, and the Ones I Still Can't Do
We work the decorative shapes, and I'll be honest about the tight coils I've never gotten to behave.
Setting a Stone That Doesn't Have to Be Pretty
We cage and wrap a stone, and I'd rather you use a rock you found than a perfect bought one.
Your First Pendant, Start to Finish
We take one stone all the way to a wearable pendant, and we finish it even if it's going badly.
Earrings and Sending You Home With Something
We make two pairs of earrings, close but not twins if you ask me, and you leave with a finished piece.

Class discussion

The class discussion board opens when the class begins this fall. Auditors and enrolled students ask questions and share work here once the session starts.