Wire Wrapped Pendants With Petrified Wood!

Wire Wrapped Pendants!

To make these awesome pendants you will need some earthy treasures!

I went to Arizona to visit my sister...who by chance, lives near Petrified Forest.

We hiked an open trail and stumbled upon millions of pieces of petrified wood!

I loaded my purse with pieces...about 20 pounds worth!

(am I the only one loading up on rocks during a hike?)

I got some big chunks, but I wanted some crystal shards to make into necklaces!

It's gorgeous and sparkles in the right light.

So, let your children pick up rocks, shells, driftwood, etc. from your summer vacation

and make it into a necklace they can treasure!

Step 1: Supplies

You will need:

Rocks, crystals, shells, driftwood, etc.

20 gauge gold wire

jewelry and needle nose pliers

charms or beads (optional)

Leather cord for necklace

Step 2: Twisting Wires Step 1

Use 8-10 inches of wire for each pendant,

depending on the amount of decor wire you want to play with.

Start by making a loop in the center of the wire.

Twist the loop twice.

Place across the top of the rock, mark with a pencil where the edges of the rock are.

Step 3: Twisting Wires Step 2

Bend the wires with the pliers to fit around the top of the rock (at your pencil marks)

Hold the wires on the side of the rock.

Bend the wires at a 90* angle...one going one direction, the other the opposite.

Step 4: Twisting Wires Step 3

Wrap the wires around the rock and twist them through the wire on the other side.

I pulled the rock out momentarily to interlock the wires.

Then slid the rock back in.

Now pull the wire in the opposite direction. It makes a tight pull here and keeps the rock in place.

The remaining wires can be wrapped around for extra support or swirled for decoration.

~

I love this one. I call it the Utah rock because of that notch in the top!

Just bend the wire to follow the shape of the rock!

I finished it off with about 30" of leather cord to complete the look.

I love the earthy and gold combo.

Step 5: Add Embellishments and Cord!

And, trust me, you'll want to make a bunch!

Which one is your favorite?

I hooked a little key charm on one of them...but it's not necessary.

Keep this simple technique in mind when you are pulling rocks or trinkets out
of kids pockets before doing laundry... Or is it just my kids that hoard rocks?

Check out my blog Doodlecraft for more awesomeness!!!

Please vote for me too! I'll be your best friend forever!

Comments

[flyingpuppy]

Love the key charm added to these wire wrapped gems.

[DIYWEAPONS]

great idea! i wish there was petrified woods where i live

[ctgypsy]

There are really inexpensive lapidary grinders being sold at Harbor Tools (like, under $50) which one can use to turn everyday average rocks and pebbles into polished stones great for use in jewelry (and don't get me started on how easy it is to turn broken bottle pieces into "beach glass"....)

[doodlecraft]

I know right!? I have a double one and love it! So yeah, these pendants can be made with any piece of nature or manmade fun! I will have to try beach glass, that sounds great! Do you do all the steps for polishing rocks, or just tumble them?

[Izzypup]

LOVE your pendants! My only concern is that if everybody who visits the Petrified Forest picks up 20 pounds of the wood, it wouldn't be long before there wouldn't be any there for others to see. (And I do know that the forest is about much larger pieces but the small ones count too. And, inside the national park it's illegal to remove anything.)
Sorry if I sound like Miss Snooty. I've been tempted many times - and have probably given in more than once. I'm just older now and it seems the older I get, the more I can see of the 'big picture.'

[ArticAkita]

anytime collecting anything like rocks, it's easy to assume you have 20 pounds. you get tired and your bag gets heavier! more than likely she had 15 or so actual pounds of rock in her bag. :)

[Izzypup]

I wasn't concerned about the number of pounds - 5, 10 or 20. My concern was that ANY pieces of wood were taken from a national park. The simple fact that it's a park increases the number of visitors and if all those visitors picked up a few pounds (or even a single piece), given enough time there wouldn't be any for future visitors to see. Doodlecraft assured me that she WASNT in the park so whatever she picked up was fair game.

[doodlecraft]

No worries, I wasn't inside the National park...Just a mountain range nearby. I have been to Petrified Forest before and didn't take a thing. ;) I've wondered the same thing about seashells on the beach, but I take them anyway. :)

[MerlinMakes]

Well the world will never run out of sea shells at least. They come from living animals xP

[ArticAkita]

as long as the silly putty wasn't imbedded in the carpet or rug! :P

[Wynd]

These look amazing! I'm going to have to try some soon!

[Ehlers_TV]

Pretty cool :-)

[craft within reach]

This is a great idea! I like the contrast between the wood and the wire.

[JohnC365]

What is the wood so scared of?

[MerlinMakes]

Snickers. Ba Dun tiss

[LairenlakpamD]

Beautiful

[Izzypup]

Just thought of something about seashells. My husband and I were at a Florida beach years ago and got up early to walk the beach. The first thing I noticed were how many conch shells - and nearly perfect ones - were there. We began picking them up 'cause I've never seen any so nice but then noticed ... The residents were still at home! In 95% of the shells the conch's foot was still in the opening. Turns out the only shells we picked up were the conchs - and we threw them all back in. We found out later that there had been a severe storm out to sea the night before and all the churning of the water brought the shells up from the bottom and the waves and tide had brought them to shore.

[Izzypup]

I think seashells are fair game. They are a renewable resource.
I saw a notice posted in the Smokie Mountain National Park years ago that stuck with me...."Take nothing but memories. Leave nothing but footprints." Pretty much says it, right?
(Your 'ible has me looking for petrified wood on eBay! Don't seem to have any in the east!

[wold630]

I love the one with the key charm! I would take rocks in my kids pockets any day. I just got silly putty the other day. Yikes!