How to Wire Wrap a Briolette (Teardrop Bead)

 It's been a minute since I added to my Jewelry-making for Beginners series. As I was working on another project (stay tuned for that reveal!), I realized that I've never shared the basics of wrapping a top-drilled teardrop bead, otherwise known as a briolette. 

The tools, materials, and steps are pretty simple. 

Start with your briolette, some wire that fits easily through the hole in the bead, wire cutters, chain-nose pliers, and round-nose pliers. 

From there, insert the end of the wire into your briolette. You may only need an inch or so coming out the other side (depending on the gauge of the wire and the depth of your briolette's point.)

Bend both ends of the wire up and over the bead so they cross.

From the point where they cross, bend your short (tail) end horizontally and the longer end vertically.

Wrap the tail end around the other end a few times, then trim the excess.

From there, you're basically going to create a wrapped loop. Start by bending the wire horizontally just above where you wrapped the tail.

Using your round-nose pliers, create a loop.

Finish by wrapping the wire around the previous wraps, just below your loop. Then, trim any excess wire. 

You can make your wrapping as simple or elaborate as you wish. 

There are some very cool ways to make the wrapping more decorative. However, that's not really my style, and I just wanted to share the simplicity of this technique. You can watch this whole process in my video. 

And, please let me know if you have any questions at all!