If you have some wire you would like to use up and a nice stone pendant with a opening at the top, you can make a really easy wire wrap tree of life. I will lead you through a Easy wire wrap Tree of life tutorial. What you need is 24-22 gauge wire to make the trees. 20 gauge is always good for bail wire. A 1 – 2 inch stone with a hole drilled in the top. Also, tools including pliers and cutters.

At the end of this post, I will have 2 linked videos that I recorded detailing the process. Sometimes watching the actual process makes things much easier. They have been added to my you tube channel.

Lets start this easy wire wrap tree of life!

Once you have a nice rock with a hole at the top, lay it on your work station table and get your wire ready. The way wire works when buying and using it, is based on gauge size. The lower the number the bigger the wire is. In addition, wire is also available in different softness or hardness. This needs to be taken into consideration depending on your stone. If the stone is going to be extremely hard to hold, or need more support; you will want to go with a bigger and harder wire.

I often don’t measure when I work on jewelry, I tend to anticipate the length by eye and experience. That being said, take 12 to 14 wires that are about 4 times the perimeter circumference of your stone. Line all wires up even on the bottom and start twisting them with a pair of pliers in one direction. You will now see the start of a tree trunk with roots and branches. Place it on the face of your stone and start envisioning how you want the trunk and the branches to go. This helps you decide on which way to bend the trunk and the branches so you can compliment each media one to the other.

Putting the bail on your tree of life

In order to help stabilize the tree on the face of the stone, you need to take either one or two longer pieces of 20 or 22 gauge wire. Check to see what size wire will work for the stone, and put 1 or 2 pieces through the hole? This is the wire you want 5 times or more the circumference of your rock around it’s perimeter. It will have to fit through the hole, go down and twist around your tree with the wire going the same direction. Then continue down to the bottom of the stone and bend around bottom and back up to the top again. The front wire should look like a part of your tree, while it supports the tree incorporating it into the bail. Use some bigger wires to support the tree and make your looped bails out of.

Don’t give up on your easy wire wrapped tree of life!

You should now have your biggest gauge wire or wires holding your tree on the face of the stone. In addition, the wire or wires should run up the back of the stone, and also through the front of the stone. This can give you a single loop bail, or a double loop bail. There are still ways to make it a double loop bail if only 1 wire fits through the hole. You need to give your self extra wire on this one, so it can make that extra bail loop at the top. You simply take the back wire and loop it with the front wire and turn it into a double bail.

Use any extra bail wire length, and wrap it around the top of the tree to add some more security to the bail. If I have totally lost you at this point, please remember I will provide 2 different links at the end of this post of you tube vids on how to do this.

Branches and leaves on the tree of life

At this point you will form the branches the way you want them to go. Sometimes if you have a really interesting stone you can curve the branches around those areas. Start at the bottom of your tree and begin taking 3 wires and twist them together on each side. These are the roots that could be showing. Take a small pair of needle nose pliers and get ready to make some curls. Simply start twirling the end of each wire towards the center of the tree. Alternate the direction you make the curls. Tap the ends down in a appealing way for the stone. You are also hiding that support wire which holds the tree

The upper branches can first have groups of 3 wires put together and twisted to make a larger branch. Bend the branches the way you want. Start curling the ends with your needle nose pliers. Work your way around the tree making curls alternating direction. You can use some of these wires to help secure the tree to the stone by wrapping them around the heavier bail wire and back into a curl. Press the curled ends down and into appealing positions on the stone.

Improvise if needed, it’s all in good fun!

When all the curls are completed go over the stone and feel if there are any sticking up. Press them back down or move them into a position so the tree doesn’t have any rough areas sticking up. Check your bail over and make sure it’s straight. Unfortunately, the above picture shows what happens when you are in a hurry and don’t measure. The piece was short some wire at the top to wrap around and hide the two initial bail wires. No fears here, you just take another piece of wire (20 gauge is always good), and wrap it around and incorporate it in the design with some more curls on the end!

The easy wire wrap tree of life is completed.

When making this tree you can use different colors of wire, and even different gauges of wire. There are no rules here, or right or wrong way to complete this. Using many different colors of wire adds interest to the tree. If you use tarnish free wire great, but if not the patina that will develop on your tree just adds to the interest on the piece.

You can add small crystal beads on the ends to represent birth dates. I have also seen small moon, or star beads used in the trees as well. You should have completed your tree. find your self a cord and enjoy this easy wire wrap tree of life you created.

Check out my you tube videos on this process

If this seems like a difficult diy, please watch my wire wrap tree pendant videos. I have recorded 2 of them on my you tube channel to help explain this better. Don’t be afraid to give it a try. It is just wire and if you don’t like it, cut it off and start over. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them. Once you try a few, it will really be an easy wire wrap tree of life diy.

Video Link Number 2 above

DIY artistic creations for Fun-ctionality in life

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