Caged bead and bonus tutorials for I Might Make That! Monday

Caged bead from Studio Heath

I have limited wire-wrapping skills--I can wrap a loop or a briolette bail and make simple coils, and I have a WigJig that I've played with some and need to do more with.

Here's a simple tute for a caged bead by a wire and glass artist named Remy Heath. I've seen lots of caged beads before, but most are done by coiling spirals and then wedging the bead inside, like the copper one shown below.

I like the vertical lines on this one, and the little flourish at the top. The tute also shows a version with cute dangles beneath the caged bead.

I can't remember how I stumbled on this website, but you can download the tute for free without any kind of signup or login process. Remy Heath also has some gorgeous tutes for sale, like her Enceinte Melody earrings.

Another caged bead. (I can't link
to a tute for this one, because the page
has been deleted.)

I also recommend exploring the WigJig website for some great wire component tutorials. You don't need one of these gizmos to make many of the patterns they illustrate. The website is butt-ugly to look at, but it is a treasure trove if you're willing to not be put off by that hot pink type and keep clicking until you get to the galleries of tips and techniques.

Oh, what the heck, I'll throw in a bonus tute today. I've long admired this WigJig dove, perhaps as a Christmas pin.

Wig Jig dove pin/pendant

I wouldn't attempt this one without a WigJig, but perhaps you, dear reader, are braver than me.

And just to make sure you feel like you're getting your money's worth today, I'll share one more website I discovered recently.

It doesn't show a jewelry-making technique, or I might have featured it all by itself today, because it's so useful. It's on jewelry photography, an art I'm sure we all can never learn too much about.

The website is TableTopStudio, and it sells light boxes and related equipment, but there are tons and tons of lighting and photography tips here. The link above takes you directly to the bead photography tips section.

(And for newcomers, the archive of past I Might Make That! Monday entries can be found by clicking the link in the top right-hand corner of my blog.)