Tools and Supplies

 20” square 22 gauge wire cut into two pieces

6” 21 gauge half round half hard wire

Flush cutter

Flat nose pliers

Round nose pliers

One 12mm rondel lampwork bead.

A mandrel for forming your bail.  I simply use a #9 knitting needle.  Makes a nice size bail.

 NOTE:  I used 14k Gold Fill wire for this project.   You can use any square wire you want just make sure two pieces will fit through the hole in the bead.  A polymer clay bead would also work great for this project.

Take your two 10” wires and twist them as shown.  I used my pin vise on one end and simply held the other end with my flat nose pliers. 

Now run both wires through the bead until the bead is about centered on the wires.  Take your fingers and push the wires upward on both sides slightly shaping together at the top.  Tape all four wires flatly together as shown.

Now take your half round and bind these together.  Do about four or five wraps starting just above the bead.  Do not clip your tail, you’ll need it later.

Take your mandrel and place about a ½” above your binding wires and bend over and down as shown to form the bail.

Now, take your flat nose pliers and grab all four wires.  Bend slightly outward and the top and again at the bottom. 

You can kind of eyeball the placement of your pliers so this flattened area will rest just above your binding wires when squeezed together and shown here.

Now take the tail of your half round wire and make four or five wraps around all wires forming a nice bail.  Now you can clip the excess and press flat with your flat nose pliers.

Place your pendant back onto your mandrel for the next few steps.  This will  not only make it easier to hold on to but will also keep your bail wires from moving.

Take the long tails and bend them to the side.

Try to keep the wires flatly together as you curve them over the front as shown here.

Keep curving until you nearly have a loop over the bail wraps.  Curve the ends back downward.

Now, you can merely nicely curve these wires, shorten them and put some tiny loops on the bottom and your pendant will look just fine,

Or……..

You can push the wires back over the top of your bead then down around the side.

Clip the excess wire so you have staggered lengths.  Take your round nose pliers and form your little loops on the wire ends. 

Use your fingers to shape the wires to a pleasing contour, and spread your bail wires a bit, polish and your done.