I Got A "Round" To It

Yesterday I realized I had a large number of 6 mm CZ's and synthetic gemstones from when I was making things with snap sets. This was wonderful because I had been hesitant to practice too much with the real gemstones--those will be expensive to replace if gratifying to wrap. Today I wanted to teach myself how to wrap a round stone. I found a design for a 6 mm round in Robbie's book and photocopied it to stick in my jewelry bag. When I sat down to work with it, I was pleased at how simple the wrap was--two wraps, a prong on each side, two wraps on each side of that, two more prongs, and one wrap on each side of the final prongs. I was also happy with how easy it was to shape the basket--all I had to do was mold it around my round-nosed pliers, and wa-la! Perfect shape. Unfortunately, one of my final wraps didn't hold and the last prong deformed, so the whole thing ended up being out of whack (though you can't tell that from the front, only from the back). I'm still not sure what I should have done differently. I probably should have left the final wrap wire longer, though I'm not sure how to do that without making the neck side of the wrap too long. Sigh. And for once I didn't know what to do with the decorating wires that are left after making the bail, so I just twisted them, cut them short, and curled them up (that was Plan B). I'm quite dissatisfied with this one. I decided to give it to my daughter and let her wear-test it. She's hard on jewelry, and if it is tough enough to survive her rough treatment, it is tough enough, period. Since all the cosmetic errors are on the back, she is happy to wear it. I can see I will have to buy fine chains in bulk to keep my customers/gift recipients happy. Not a cheap endeavor even at wholesale prices, with silver at the price it is now. But this is the kind of thing that screams for a fine chain, not a ribbon or leather cord. Any favorite sources for 16" and 18" fine chains in sterling? Nothing at all bulky, of course, something delicate to complement the wrap and faceted stone. I am going to try this same wrap again tomorrow. I am going to make the prongs a little shorter and the wraps a little tighter, and I will leave the end wrap a bit longer so it will grip the wire bundle better (I hope). And I will find something less lame to do with the decorating wires. I still have three simulated sapphires left, plus about thirty or forty other "stones" in this size and shape! Viva la practice!