Gemstone Rough Nugget Wire-wrapped Bangle Tutorial

Why We Love This Tutorial:

These are super quick (and fun!) to make, so what’s not to love?! We wanted a way to show off some of our new rough (unpolished) gemstone nuggets, and we thought this easy bangle tutorial fit the bill perfectly. This is a very versatile project, and you could easily use any beads you like.

We’ve made a few different styles (check out the photo, below!), but the one we’ve made in the tutorial is just the basic version. The other version simply use more beads, and/or include going back with the wire and wrapping around the beads. We’ve crossed over the center rough gemstone in the tutorial, but as you can see in the photo below this is entirely optional (the Amethyst version leaves the nugget totally exposed).

Beads and Materials You’ll Need:

• Feature Bead (we’ve used Fluorite rough Nuggets. We also have other rough nuggets available, click here).
• Mix of gemstone round beads (we’ve used Aventurine 4mm round beads, Fluorite 6mm round beads)
• 26ga or 24ga wire (we’ve used 24ga but 24 is also fine! We have use gold wire to show the step by step instructions as it shows up better in photos, however our finished main examples use gold. Colour of wire is up to you, just make sure to get the corresponding bangle in the same colour.)
• Bangle (in silver or gold)

Tools You’ll Need:

• Flat Nose pliers
• Flush Cutters

Method:

Step One: Cut about 80cm of 24ga wire. If you prefer to work with less (it’s a bit more manageable!) that’s totally fine, it’s very easy to add wire as you go with the design.

Step Two: Wrap around the bangle approx. 10 times to secure the wire.

Step Three: Trim the excess wire tail with your flush cutters, then use your flat nose pliers to ensure it’s totally flat against the bangle frame. Thread on your first 4mm bead.

Step Four: Wrap two times around the bangle to secure the bead in place. Step Five: Add another bead (6mm), and wrap two times around the bangle.

Step Six: Add your rough nugget, then wrap twice around the bangle to secure.

Step Seven: We’ve also wired across the rough nugget for a little extra decoration. Simple take the wire over and under, and over again in a cross pattern.

The back looks like this: Step Eight: Now it’s simply a matter of finishing the bangle in the same manner as you started it. Attach a 6mm bead, wrap twice, a 4mm bead, then finish with 10 wraps. Trim the tail with your flush cutters and use your flat nose pliers to ensure no little pointy bit is poking out! Finished design on gold wire: