Triple Swirl Wirework Pendant

All things I make start somewhere. Sometimes they get a succesful ending, sometimes I get totally lost in making it. If that happens, I just keeping working on it, hoping it can still be fixed. Most of the time, it can.

This Christmas, I'm doing a gift exchange with the amazing watchmeflyy. I had a perfect idea for a pendant, so I drew it out. But, the further I got, the more fails I made. The complete story of this pendant can be found here.

Normally, when something doesn't work out the way I want it to, I just leave it. But since it is part of a gift exchange, I did want to make a new pendant instead of giving something I'm not fully satisfied with.

So, I started sketching again, taking a different turn this time. Luckily, this second attempt turned out just the way I wanted to :)

To make a pendant, you wil need:

- pliers ( round nose pliers, flat nose pliers and cutting pliers)

- wire, two different gauges ( I used gauge 20 and 26. Variations are possible, but I wouldn't reccommend making the thick wire less than gauge 20)

- mandrel ( a variation in different round objects is a perfect substitute)

- paper

- pencil

Take your paper and your pencil and draw a circle. The size of this circle is also the size of your pendant. I drew mine about 3 cm in diameter, which is the biggest part of my mandrel.

Next, add your swirls to the circle. Position them in a way you like, just make sure they are all touching, as shown in my sketch.

All steps from here are based on the sketch shown, but they can simply be used for all similar sketches.

Cut off a piece of gauge 20 wire. It should be long enough to go around the size of your pendant and still have enough wire to make two loops.

Bend the wire around your mandrel completely. After that, you can place it on your sketch to see if the size is right.

Take your round nose pliers and put them in the middle of the overlapping parts of wire.

Bend one side of the wire around it to make the first loop. Repeat this for the other side.

Cut off the remaining bits of wire.

For this step, roughly estimate the length of wire you'll need.

The part of the double swirl that's next to the outer circle, is about a third of the outer circle. Cut about 2-3 times this length.

Bend the wire around the same part of the mandrel as the outer circle, but not exactly in the middle, since there is a small and a bigger swirl.

Still roughly following the sketch, bend the first swirl. Keep placing the part on the outer circle to ensure yourself it still matches up.

Also bend the other swirl, but make sure both swirls touch.

Take another piece of wire. Bend it around the mandrel. Shape the end in a swirl big enough to touch both swirls. Cut off the beginning where the other swirls leave the outer circle as shown.

Cut off a piece of gauge 26 wire with a length you feel comfortable about working with. Position the double swirl in the outer swirl and start coiling the wire

Keep coiling the wire around both outside and inner wire. When you reach the loop, go through it as shown. After the loop, coil the last part.

Cut off the end of the wire and carefully clamp it with flat nose pliers to prevent the end of the wire from poking out.

Take another piece of your thin wire and coil it around the point where the two swirls meet a few times. End the wire as described last step.

Place the single swirl in the pendant as well and join it with the outer circle. Don't worry if it's still moveable, that will be fixed next step.

Coil around the other two joins of the swirls. This will lock all swirls in place and make your pendant sturdier.

Take your gauge 20 / 0, 81 mm wire again and shape a little '8' as shown. Simply open up one of the sides and add it to the pendant.

Use a piece of chain with a length you find to be comfortable as necklace.

Add your closure to one of the ends. Close it and determine where the middle of the necklace is, so where you need to add the necklace.

Open up the loop on your pendant and add it to the middle part of your necklace.

And after that your pendant is finished and you can proudly wear it! Or, you could of course make this as a present and surprise someone :D