Wire Wrapped Tree of Life Pendant

Making this Wire-wrapped Gemstone Pendant is easier than you think!

It may look complicated, however by simply following the easy steps outlined below you can create your very own one-of-a-kind Tree of Life pendant in an evening!

18ga Artistic Wire

26ga Artistic Wire

25x18mm Teardrop Cabochon

Flat Nose Pliers

Flush Cutters

Take 14cm of 18ga wire, and make a teardrop-shape that is smaller than the cabochon. Then, use flat nose pliers to angle the tail ends off as per the photo.

Using 26ga wire, make a weave (any weave will do, use your favourite! We will be making a tutorial soon on various types of weaves you may like to try). Then, using round nose pliers make two small loops at the end of the 18ga wire.

Take 8pcs of 20cm 26ga wire and fold each in half. Attach each piece of wire to the frame at the middle of the 26ga wire (at the bend) with two loops onto the 18ga wire. Use your flat nose pliers to push all these loops together in the middle of the wire frame.

Optional: After attaching all 8pcs of wire, use flat nose pliers to kink the wires to make them look more like natural tree roots. Try to be random with this! Otherwise, you may leave them straight and get a completely different finished look for your pendant.

Bring all the wires together, and twist as one to make the tree trunk. Use your stone as a guide to get the shape right - you will need to fold the twisted together wires around the stone.

Roughly shape five branches by twisting multiple wires together. It looks nice to have some branches thicker than others; so, some branches may have just two wires, while others may have 5 or more.

Using flat nose pliers, take the individual wires and kink them to look more natural.

Put your stone in place to check the shape is working well. You will want to constantly be checking with your stone in place to ensure the pendant is looking good!

One by one, take each individual wire at attach it to the back frame with two wraps.

It is easiest if you do the top two first as this will help hold the stone in place. Work your way down and attach all the wires to the back in the same manner.

After attaching all the wires, trim using flush cutters then carefully tuck the cut ends under the frame wire using the flat nose pliers. This way, the wires will not stick our and scratch the wearer.

Using either just your fingers or a pair of bail making pliers, shape the bail over so that the two loops are flush against the back of the stone.

And that's it! You may wish to shape the tree a little more, or kink the wires some more using flat nose pliers. Try to push the tree and all its roots and branches as close to the stone as possible.