How I Found Wire Wrapping

I was introduced to wire wrapping one night at my friends Hannah and Trevor’s house. They showed me their wire wrapped crystal necklaces, and I was immediately obsessed. I asked Hannah to take me shopping for supplies, fully expecting to be taught how to do it.

We gathered everything I needed, but it was late by the time we finished. The lesson never happened.

The next day, instead of waiting, I decided to try on my own just to see what would happen. I became so focused on experimenting with wire patterns that when I finally leaned back, I realized I had completely covered the stone. That first piece was chaotic and overworked, but something had clicked. My next attempts improved quickly, and I still love looking back at them. You can see my mind working differently then. My years of art education quietly formed a foundation for the designs.

At the time, I worked with craft wire and tumbled stones. I didn’t trust myself with higher quality materials. I didn’t believe my skills were ready. What I didn’t realize then was that tumbled stones are far more difficult to wrap than cut and polished cabochons made for jewelry. Every tumbled stone is irregular. Every design has to be customized just to hold the stone securely.

I struggled. And I’m grateful for it. That struggle forced me to problem solve, experiment, and refine my technique early on. It taught me structure before decoration. I tried countless designs, learned what worked, and slowly built confidence. I’d never go back to wrapping tumbled stones, but I wouldn’t trade what they taught me.

Now, working with predictably shaped crystals gives me a different kind of freedom. I still rely on basic structural patterns to hold each stone securely, but my mental energy can go toward embellishment and expression rather than survival. Each piece is unique, intentional, and built one bend at a time.

When I craft, I enter a state of deep focus. I zone into the work completely, manipulating each coil of wire with precision and care. Even when I finish a piece, it’s difficult for me to see it as a whole. I often have to close my eyes or walk away in order to see the forest instead of the trees, and when I do, I’m usually surprised that I’m the one who made it!

I’ve always had hobbies on rotation. I try something for a few months, then move on. Only two practices have stayed with me for over a decade, and wire wrapping is one of them. As a kid, I fantasized about careers in fashion, architecture, and cosmetology. Although they are different paths, they always centered on design. Looking back, that thread has never changed.

Wire wrapping isn’t about making something pretty to wear or producing art for profit. For me, it’s about the process. I am exploring my heart and my mind when flexing my skills and solving problems.  It is important that I create pieces I’m genuinely proud of. I don’t do anything half-heartedly. I either don’t do it at all, or I commit fully, pouring my time, focus, and energy into the work.

For me, wire wrapping is a moving meditation where I learn patience, refinement, and more about who I am.