onyx???

yes i'm getting very nervous and working hard. by yesterday i was just plain worn out. probably a good thing since we had 2 convicts escape and they haven't found them yet. i was too tired to worry about them but i'm less tired today and sure do wish they had rounded them up now. they had the canines looking yesterday and searched a friend's house twice (dogs must have smelled something). if they disturb me while i'm wrapping it won't be good lol.

kim

Hi Kim, Your work is outstanding! How long have you been wrapping? You truly are the goddess of the wrap! Daniel

tonja when i've brought all my wires together at the top of the stone, i use one of those rubber clamp things and hold them together so they stay in line and straight - you'll have 2 neat rows of however many wires you used (2 rows of 3; 2 rows of 5, etc.). then i wrap it with binding wire several times and leave the binding wire hanging out to the side until i need it further, unclamp, fold down any i won't be using for the bail to get them out of my way, take the ones i am using for the bail and shape the bail. i use one of those small u.s. flags to shape my bails. you know the small ones you hold in your hand and wave. the wood flag pole is smaller in diameter than a pencil so i like it better. after i've shaped my bail and pinched it at the bottom with my pliers, i take the piece of binding wire that was hanging out to the side and continue upward several more times. then i clip off any excess length coming out the back of the bail and make a small loop going upwards at the back of the bail. you can then take the wires you did not use in the bail and finish off the design.

would it help if i took pictures on the next wrap?

kim

Thank you so much for the lesson. I think I've got it, but pictures are always good. LOL I was working on one piece and somehow I got the wire to tight and it broke. So I tried to improvise and broke another. So I threw it away, not the stone, just the wire. I'm glad it was practice wire! I study all the pics you show, you do just a grand job. How do you get the wire so smooth? Mine always looks like I bent it and straightened it and bent it again. I've got 3 weeks to figure this out, haha, might have to send you the opals and hire you to make the wrap!!

Tonja