DIY Above the Knuckle Ring

This year I have decided to add a few more posts to the group and I thought I would start uploading some simple DIY posts that you can follow to make your own crafts and jewellery.  I have been making jewellery for a number of years now, most of the techniques I use are self taught or from trial or error.

I thought I would start with some thing really simple yet effective so I decided to make an Above the Knuckle Ring.  

The rings need a minimal amount of equipment.  I picked mine up from The Birmingham Bead Shop which is based in the Custard Factory.  If you haven't been in before you should pop in or take a look at their website as they have a treasure trove of beads and findings and the staff are very helpful. 

I picked up some thick beading wire and a mini set of pliers, you don't need the whole set you can make the knuckle ring with just a set of round nose pliers.   I used round and flat pliers when making the ring as the twisting of the wire is fiddly and I find it easier to do with two pairs but it is personal preference.  To shape the ring I used a ring mandrel, it is not an essential piece of equipment for making the ring I have it in my toolkit for making my other pieces of jewellery.  The mandrel helps to shape the ring but you can also achieve this by using a marker pen or lip balm container depending on the size of the ring you are making.  

Step 1 - Cut off around 3-4inches of wire using side cutters on the pliers.  Wrap the wire around where you would like to wear the ring.  

Step 2 - Slide the ring off your finger .  It doesn't matter too much about the shape at this point as you will be able to fix it later on.  

Step 3 - Use the pliers to pinch the pieces of wire together slightly.  Hold the pliers and twist the pieces of wire so they loop round in an S shape.

Step 4 - Place the ring around the mandrel if you have one or your rounded object.  Continue to twist the wire to make your preferred design.  To make the one pictured I continually twisted the wires around each other in the S from the beginning.  

Step 5 - Using thumb apply pressure around the ring to smooth out any dents and correct the ring shape.  

Step 6 - Place the ring on your desired finger, wear it with style and listen to your compliments. 

If you give it a go I would love to see your pictures.  I am thinking of doing 1 or 2 DIY posts each month.  Is there anything you would like to see?

Laura xx