Cabochon Pendant

Tools Needed

Materials

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Select your cabochon. To determine the length of wire you will need use low tack tape, either painters or masking tape cut to one quarter inch wide. Use a strip of this tape across the face of the cab to mark the center, top and bottom, use a measuring tape to get an accurate center mark. Starting at the center top, leaving a tail, wrap tape around the edge of the cab until you slightly overlap the other end. Cut the tape and leave on the stone. At this time, decide where you want your side wraps and mark the tape. Here I will make five wraps around the bundle. Mark the bottom center of the tape as a reference. I usually mark the center with an x or arrow and the remaining wrap locations with broad marks showing location and the width of the wraps.

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Remove the tape by cutting through the overlap at the top center of the stone. Stick the tape to your work surface for reference. Measure the length of the tape and add a minimum of four inches, here I have added five inches. This will be the length of the wires you need for the wire bezel. Cut as many wires as you need to equal the thickness of the cab plus two more wires. In this case, since the cabochon has a thin edge, I am using five wires. Straighten wires by carefully drawing the wire between your thumb and fingers using a rouge pad to clean as you straighten.

Lay the wires next to each other in a flat bundle and temporary wrap each end of the wires with telephone wire. Find the middle of the bundle and using your marked measuring tape find and match the middle marks. Use the tape to mark the bundle for wrap wires. Mark the beginning and end of the tape on the bundle. If your design does not include wraps at the top of the pendant, tape the wires just beside the end marks on each side. You may also wish to tape or put a temporary wrap between wrapping marks. It often makes wrapping easier. You will remove the tapes before you form the bail.

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Starting at the middle wrap mark, wrap your bundles using half round wire. Take 3 to 4 inches of wrap wire and form a U bend on the thinnest part of your flat nose pliers. The short tail wire should be slightly off at an angle. Place the wrap wire over the border wires with the angle on the inside. Make sure the long wire is perpendicular to the border wires and then bend the long wire to the back. Lightly squeeze in place. Now turn your work and wrap the wire to the front, next to the previous wrap and lock in place. Make your wraps firm but movable in case you need to make final adjustments. Make sure all the cut ends are on the same side, this will be the inside of the pendant. I used five wraps for the bottom wrap and three in every other case.

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Adjust the wraps to the proper locations. One way to make sure they are an equal distance is to cut your marking tape and use it as a guide. Mark above and below where you want the wraps with a Sharpie so that you can go back and adjust as needed later. Remove any tape or temporary wraps between where the wraps will be placed.

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Shape your bundle to match the cabochon. A ring mandrel or other rounded item such as a dowel or pill bottle will help for curved cabochons. Square or angular cabs may require pliers or square forms. Make sure the middle marks are in the middle as it is easy to get this off mark. Use equal and firm pressure to keep wires straight and true. Check the fit to the cabochon and make adjustments.

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You are now ready to make your first locking turns. These are the turns that come over the front and back of the stone. Taking a small knife spread the wires. Spread just enough to allow you to grab individual wires. The photo shows the proper amount of spread.

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Using your flat nose pliers, grab the back wire next to the bottom (center) wrap and twist towards the center to form the locking wire. Now do the same on the front wire. Check the fit with the cabochon in place and make any adjustments to the next side wraps.

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Remove the cab and then form your side locking wires in the same manner. Do one side front and then the other side front, then turn the back wires in place. Continue you have finished all turns at wraps.

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Next we will center the stone in the wrap. The cabochon must be in place, snug up the setting around the sides and the top of the cabochon. Crisscross the wires, centering the stone top and bottom.

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If you were careful you should have the top wraps meeting at the center, if not adjust any wire wraps to do so. Estimate where each wire bundle would cross the center line if wrapped tightly. Mark each bundle where it would touch the center line. Gently bend each side up at that line using the flat nose pliers, keeping the wires straight and even. Check the fit and when you are satisfied, use telephone wire to temporarily wrap the bail wires together, making sure they are parallel.

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Take about five inches of the 16 gauge and, using your flat nose pliers, move up the jaw until the depth of one side of the jaw is the thickness of the two wire bundles just above the cabochon. Make a U bend in the wire. The short end should be slightly angled to allow for an even straight wrap around the bail.

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Start the wrap with the short end facing the back of the cabochon and make two complete wraps ending with the ling end of the wire also pointing toward the back of the cabochon. Do not cut the wrapping wire at this time.

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Remove the temporary wires and separate the front wire from each side of the bundle from the remaining wires. These front two wires will be used to make the bail so leave them upright. Using your pocketknife, separate the two wire bundles and spread them apart, out of the way, forming a wide V.

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Using a dowel or your round nose pliers, form the front wires into an inverted U with the end of the wires laying snugly along the back wires of the bail wrap and the back of the stone.

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Straighten the V wires straight up against the bail. With the long end of the 16 gauge wire, continue the wrap capturing each side bundle and the bail. Wrap at least 2 full times ending with the wire facing the back of the pendant. Finish the bail by trimming the end wrap wires flush and tucking the back bail wires under the bail.

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Use the remaining wires to decorate your pendant. Here I have gently bent each bundle, as a unit, over the face of the stone. I spread them out and, using round nose pliers, curl each end under so it will not catch clothing. This is where you can get creative with what to do with these wires. Have fun.

The finished piece

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