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Bead & Scroll Adjustable Wire Ring (Tutorial)

by Rena Klingenberg. © 2003-Present Rena Klingenberg. All Rights Reserved

This easy adjustable wire ring features a lovely double scroll and an 8mm round bead.

I love copper and turquoise colors together, but of course this ring would be striking in your favorite colors too. 🙂

I have always found that adjustable rings sell quickly, since many people’s fingers swell or shrink during the day.

You can wire-wrap the shank of this ring if you like, but I also like it with just the smooth, bare double wire.

Supplies:

• An 8mm (0.31″) round bead.
  I’m using a translucent glass bead in a turquoise color.
• Round soft wire, 16 or 18 gauge.
  I’m using copper wire in 18 gauge.
• Wire cutter.
• Wire rounder / cup bur.
• Round nose pliers.
• Sharpie marker.
• Ring mandrel or other finger-size cylinder (dowel, PVC pipe, lipstick tube, highlighting marker, etc.).
• Plastic, nylon, or rubber jewelry hammer.

How to Make a
Bead & Scroll Adjustable Wire Ring

First, we’ll figure the length of wire you need to cut.

The wire length for this ring is very adaptable, for two reasons:

1. Because the ring itself is adjustable.
2. Because you can take up excess wire by making the wire scrolls bigger, or add extra wire length by making smaller wire scrolls.

Wire length for this ring:

Measure the circumference of the ring-wearing finger.

Then double that measurement, and add 65mm (2.559″).

Example:

For a finger circumference of 54mm (2.126″):

(54mm x 2) + 65mm = 173mm (6.811″) wire length.

Cut your wire to your desired length.

Now we’ll use a cup bur / wire rounder to smooth and round the ends of your wire:

Next, we’ll make a mark on your wire so you’ll know where to place your bead.

First find the centerpoint of your wire.

Then use your Sharpie marker to make a mark that is 7.5mm (0.295″) to one side of that center point:

Now string your bead onto the wire, and slide it along until the center of the bead rests on the Sharpie mark you made on the wire:

Now fold the wire ends straight down from the bead. (Notice that one wire end is longer than the other, because one wire scroll end will be bigger than the other):

Now cross the wire ends right below the bead:

Using the tips of your round nose pliers, grasp one wire just below the bead:

. . . and bend the wire gently, until the wire points straight down from the bottom center of the bead:

Now your wire should look like this:

Now do the same to the other wire end:

Your wire should now look like this:

Now it’s time to make the scrolled ends of the ring.

We’ll start with the larger scroll, making an open wire spiral with the longer wire end.

If you’re new to making open spirals, or have had trouble with them in the past, see my easy 3-minute video, How to Make an Open Wire Spiral.

Use the tips of your round nose pliers to grasp the tip of the longer wire end:

Now roll that wire end into a small hook:

Then keep moving your pliers along the wire, making a small curve each time you move the pliers:

Continue moving your pliers along the wire, and continue to make a small curve each time you move the pliers, until your spiral is about this size:

Now your wire should look like this:

Next we’ll make the smaller scroll on the remaining wire end.

Using the tips of your round nose pliers, grasp the end of your remaining wire:

Now roll that wire end into a small hook:

. . . then keep moving your pliers along the wire, making a small curve each time you move the pliers:

. . . until your smaller scrolled end touches the bottom of the larger scrolled end, and your wire looks like this:

Now it’s time to wrap your wire around the ring mandrel.

Lay your wire across the ring mandrel, with your thumb holding the wire against the mandrel, right on the center of your wire.

Then press the wire tightly around your mandrel:

. . . and keep pressing your wire around the mandrel until your ring looks like this:

(If your ring keeps springing back into a larger size, wrap it around a smaller object or a smaller area on your ring mandrel.)

Now use your plastic, nylon, or rubber jewelry hammer to shape your ring smoothly around the mandrel:

Your finished Bead & Scroll Adjustable Wire Ring may look something like this: