Blossom Drops Tutorial KSJEWELLERY

Copyright 2014 KRISTIN SMITH (K S Jewellery Designs) Page: 1
Tutorial:
BLOSSOM DROPS
Created by KRISTIN SMITH
(K S Jewellery Designs)
http://www.facebook.com/KSJewelleryDesigns
Please do not distribute, lend or copy.
Do not mass produce.
Please always give credit to KRISTIN SMITH
Copyright 2014 KRISTIN SMITH
This tutorial shows you how to create an elegant

BLOSSOM DROP PENDANT with close-up
photos and detailed step-by-step instructions.
It is ideal for a beginner/improver as it includes a

Other Blossom Drop variations: number of WIREWORK TIPS to help you master
some of the techniques of shaping wire, making
spirals, hammering and wrapping wire.
The tutorial also includes guidance on how to

adapt my design to create MANY DIFFERENT
BLOSSOM DROP VARIATIONS OF EARRINGS
AND PENDANTS.
NB. Plated wire is NOT recommended for the

hammering and sanding elements of this tutorial
Materials:
• 20 gauge soft round wire
• 26 gauge soft round wire
• 26 gauge half-hard round wire
• Teardrop briolette bead
Tools:
• Wire cutters
• Round nose pliers
• Chain nose pliers
• Nylon headed pliers
• Smooth headed hammer
• Stainless steel bench block
• Ruler or measuring tape
• Round dowel (approx. 1.5cm diameter)
• Sanding pads or emery paper (3 grades)
• Polishing cloth
Instructions for
BLOSSOM DROP PENDANT
Materials needed:
- 20 gauge soft round wire (approx. 32cm)

- 26 gauge soft round wire (approx. 40cm)
- 26 gauge half-hard round wire (approx. 7cm)
- Teardrop briolette bead (approx. 13mm x
8mm)
Approximate size of pendant will be

2.8cm wide x 3.5cm (including bail)
Step 1:First you need a length of 20 gauge soft

round wire.
Do not cut any wire yet.

Leave the wire attached to the roll of wire.
Run about 25cm of wire from the end between

your nylon headed pliers to straighten the wire
and remove any kinks.
Step 2:Next clean the wire with a polishing cloth.

Step 3:Lay the wire along your ruler or
measuring tape.
long
wire Grip the wire between the tips of your round nose
pliers at a point 6cm from the end of the wire.
NB. The end of the length of wire near the roll of

short wire will now be described as the ‘long wire’ and
wire the cut end described as the ‘short wire’.
Step 4:Grip the wire at that point (6cm from the

cut end) and bend it around one side of your
round nose pliers to make a little teardrop shaped
loop.
Step 5:The little teardrop shaped loop (loop 1)

should be about 3-4mm in diameter.
long 1
wire
short
wire
Step 6:Grip the long wire just beside loop 1 and
make another slightly smaller loop (loop 2) by
wrapping the long wire around one side your
round nose pliers.
1
short
wire
long
wire
Step 7:Make sure the long wire and the short

wire finish/lie parallel and on the same side of the
two loops.
N.B. This is important to the final look of the

2 blossom shape.
1
long
wire short
wire
Step 8:Grip both the long wire and the short wire
between the tips of your round nose pliers just
below loops 1 and 2.
This time, wrap the short wire around one side of

the pliers to make another little loop (loop 3) the
1 same size as loop 2.
2
N.B. Make sure that the short wire finishes/lies
the same side and parallel to the wire joining
loop 1 and loop 2 (see next photo).
long
short wire
wire
Step 9:This photo shows a complete ‘blossom’
with the long wire and the short wire at an angle
of about 90 degrees from each other.
1
N.B. Your blossom should look the same if viewed
3 2
from either side.
long
90˚ short
wire
wire
Step 10:Place the blossom onto your stainless

steel bench block and gently hammer the three
loops only to spread the wire a little and to fix the
shape.
N.B. My hammer is quite heavy (250g). It has a

smooth head with rounded edges. I hold it quite
close to the head so I can make controlled and
gentle taps.
N.B. Try not to hammer where the wires lie over

each other as this can weaken the wire and your
blossom might break apart.
Step 11:Your blossom should look like this.

Step 12:Place the blossom up to the side of a
round dowel with a diameter of approximately
1.5cm.
Wrap the long wire and the short wire around the
long dowel so that they cross over on the opposite
wire side to the blossom.
NB. My stepped dowel is a ‘Beadsmith Multi-

Mandrel’. You could also something cylindrical,
e.g. a lip balm or a glue stick.
short
wire
Step 13:To make sure your ‘blossom drop’ shape

is symmetrical, draw a line on piece of paper and
lay your wire piece down so that the line runs
through the centre of the blossom.
short Place the tips of your chain nose pliers on the

short wire at the point where the two wires cross
wire
(see arrow in photo).
Step 14:Bend the short wire so it runs parallel to

the drawn line.
N.B. The straight part of the short wire should be

about 1.5cm to 2cm long – if it is shorter than
this, it may be difficult to make the bail for the
pendant (detailed later in this tutorial).
Step 15:With your chain nose pliers, gently grip
the two wires (long and short) just above where
they cross and wrap the long wire once around
the short wire.
N.B. After the one wrap, make sure the long wire
finishes to the side of the blossom drop.
long
wire
Step 16:Lay the blossom drop shape onto the

front side
side of your bench block.
N.B. Make sure the front of the wrap you made in

Step 15 is facing up with the long wire finishing
behind.
Gently hammer the sides of the blossom drop

only to spread the wire and to fix the shape.
N.B. The side that you have hammered will now

be described as the ‘front side’.
Step 17:Start forming the ‘frame’ of your

front side
pendant by gently curving the long wire around
the blossom drop with your fingers.
N.B. Keep the curve as smooth as possible and

try not to bend or kink the wire as you shape it.
To remove unwanted bends, run the long wire
through your nylon headed pliers (as in Step 1)
and start to curve the wire again.
Step 18:Curve the long wire into an oval shaped
front side
frame around the blossom drop.
The bottom of the frame should lie just behind

the bottom of the blossom (see arrow on photo).
long
wire Finish with the long wire behind the short wire.
Grip the long wire and the top of the blossom

drop with your chain nose pliers.
back side Step 19:Whilst you are gripping with your pliers,
hold the rest of the long wire between your
fingers of your other hand and wrap it twice
around the short wire just above the wrap you
made in Step 15.
back side Step 20:Snip off the long wire at the back of the
pendant as close as possible to the wrapping.
Press down the cut end with your chain nose

pliers.
back side Step 21:With the back side of the blossom drop
facing up, place it to the side of your bench block
so that only the short wire lies on it.
Gently hammer the short wire only to spread the

wire.
N.B. Try to hammer up to the wraps you made in

Step 20. This will help to keep the frame shape
secure.
back side Step 22:Your hammered short wire should look

like this.
If the end of the short wire is rough, smooth it

down with a sanding pad (foam-backed sand
paper) or emery paper.
N.B. Don’t worry if the wire is slightly wider at

the top.
Step 23:Grip the tip of the hammered short wire

front side
between your round nose pliers.
Curl the hammered wire forwards (towards the

front side of the pendant) around the pliers to
form a circle. Keep curling until you reach the
wraps at the top of the blossom drop (see next
photo).
Step 24:Your curled circle should look like this
and is now the ‘bail’ of your pendant.
Step 25:Grip the back of the bail with the tips of

your chain nose pliers and bend it back just a
little bit (see next photo).
Step 26:Your bail should look like this.

Step 27:Now you need to hammer the blossom
front side
drop frame.
Firstly, place your wire piece to the side of your

bench block with the front side facing up.
Gently hammer the side of the frame only (up to

the bail and down to just before the blossom).
N.B. Leave the bottom part of the frame

unhammered at this stage.
Turn the blossom round and hammer the other

side of the frame.
Step 28:To hammer the bottom part of the

frame, you need to move the blossom away so
that you can only hammer the frame.
Carefully hold your wire piece so that the blossom

is down the side of your bench block and only the
bottom of the frame is sitting on the top.
Gently hammer the bottom of the frame to the

same width as the sides.
Step 29:Your blossom drop pendant should look

like this.
N.B. As the hammering has spread the wire, it

has become longer, therefore, you will probably
have a small gap between the blossom and the
bottom of the frame (see arrow on photo). Don’t
worry about this as you will join the blossom to
the frame in the next step.
Step 30:Cut off a 4cm length of soft 26 gauge
wire. This will now be described as the ‘fine
wire’.
Feed the fine wire through the bottom loop of the

blossom and round the bottom of the frame to
make a wrap.
Tighten the wrap by gripping one end of the fine

wire against the blossom drop with one hand and
pulling the other end with your other hand.
N.B. Make sure the blossom sits in front of the

frame
Step 31:Repeat the wrapping to make about 4

wraps to fix the blossom to the bottom of the
frame. Gently push the wraps together with your
fingernails
Finish the wraps at the back of the frame and cut

off the ends of the fine wire with your wire
cutters.
Press down the cut ends with your chain nose

pliers.
Step 32:To remove any tool marks and to

smooth out hammering marks, use sanding pads
or emery paper (3 different grades).
Start with the roughest grade and rub all over the
wire piece (front, back and sides).
Then repeat the process with the next sanding

pad and end with the finest grade pad.
When you have finished sanding, give the wire

piece a good polish with a polishing cloth.
Step 33:Straighten about 12cm of wire from the
end of a roll of 20 gauge soft round wire with
your nylon headed pliers and then clean it with a
polishing cloth.
Make sure the end of the wire has a flush cut end
and then cut off a 5.5cm length of wire with
another flush cut.
Repeat to cut off a second 5.5cm length of wire.
Step 34:Gently rub the ends of the cut wire

lengths on a sanding pad or emery paper to
remove any rough bits.
Step 35:Place one end of one of the wire lengths

between the tips of your round nose pliers and
make a little loop.
Step 36:Squeeze the little loop a little between
the tips of your chain nose pliers to close the gap.
Step 37:Turn the wire length round and make

another little loop at the other end (as in the
photo).
Repeat to make two little loops on the second

wire length.
Step 38:To make an open spiral: grip the little

loop between your chain nose pliers and hold the
rest of the wire with your other hand.
Carefully turn the pliers to bend the wire around

the little loop making sure you leave a gap
around the loop.
Step 39:Release the pliers.
Your little loop and curved wire should look like

this.
Step 40:Grip the little loop again and some of

the curved wire.
Turn the pliers again to continue the curve.
NB. Try and keep the gap between the loop and
the curved wire even.
Step 41:Turn the wire piece around and make

another open spiral at the other end.
Your spiral wire piece should look like this.

Step 42:Repeat Steps 38 to 41 to make a second
matching spiral wire piece.
Turn one piece over and adjust the spirals so that

the pieces are as symmetrical as possible.
N.B. You will notice that I have made the lower

spirals a bit wider to fit the gap in the frame (see
next photo).
Step 43:Place the spiral wire pieces on to the

front side
front side of your blossom drop pendant to test to
see if they are the right size to fit the gap.
N.B. When checking the fit, you need to take

into account that the spirals will become a little
longer and wider when they have been
hammered.
Adjust the spirals to fit before hammering.
Now gently hammer both spiral wire pieces to

spread the wire and fix the shape.
Sand and polish both pieces ready to attach to

the pendant.
Step 44:Cut 8 lots of 4cm lengths of soft 26

front side
gauge wire (‘fine wire’).
To attach a spiral wire piece to the blossom drop

pendant, start by making 1 wrap only with one
length of fine wire at 4 points (see arrows in the
photo).
Move the spiral about until you are happy with its
placement, then pull the wraps tight using your
fingers and chain nose pliers.
Step 45:Make 4 wraps at each point. Finish and
front side
cut the wraps at the back side of the pendant.
Press down the cut ends with your chain nose
pliers.
N.B. Rub the back of the pendant with your finger

to feel for any sharp points. These can be
removed by rubbing with your sanding paper or
emery paper.
Give the pendant another polish before you add

the bead (see next step).
Step 46:Cut off a 7cm length of half-hard 26

front side
gauge wire (‘fine wire’).
N.B. I have found that using half-hard wire to

attach the bead helps the bead to stay in place.
If you don’t have half-hard wire, you can ‘work
harden’ soft wire by running it through your
nylon headed pliers a few times.
Start wrapping the fine wire around the top of

one side of the inner frame (see arrow on photo).
Wrap down the inner frame about 7 or 8 times

and bend the fine wire to the opposite side.
Step 47:Slide a teardrop bead onto the fine wire

and check to see if it will sit well within the inner
frame.
Bend the remaining part of the fine wire up to a

slight angle.
N.B. This means that the teardrop bead will sit in

a slight dip in the fine wire and hold its place in
the centre of the frame without sliding around.
Step 48:Check the position of the bead and then
start wrapping the fine wire around the other side
of the inner frame. Wrap up towards the top of
the pendant.
NB. This wrapping becomes more difficult the

closer you get to the top of the inner frame. Use
a pair of chain nose pliers to help feed the end of
the fine wire through the gap in the frame and to
help pull the wire tight to keep the wrapping
neat.
Finish the wrapping at the back of the top of the

inner frame and cut both ends of the fine wire off
with your wire cutters. Push the cut ends down
with your chain nose pliers.
Feel the back of the inner frame for any rough

bits and sand them down with a sanding pad or
emery paper.
Step 49:Finally give your pendant one last polish

with your polishing cloth and feed it onto a chain.
Variations of Blossom Drops

These blossom drop earrings are made by
creating a larger ‘blossom’ at the bottom with all
3 loops a similar size.
Follow the tutorial up to Step 15 and wrap the

long wire twice around the short wire and cut off
at the back.
Make a little loop from the short wire with your

round nose pliers (as shown in photo) and cut off
the excess. Close any gap with your pliers and
gently hammer this little loop to fix the shape.
Attach briolette beads as in Steps 41 and 42.
This blossom drop pendant is a simplified version

of the one in this tutorial with a larger blossom at
the bottom of the pendant.
Follow the tutorial up to Step 32 and add a

briolette bead as in Steps 41 and 42.
To add extra stability to the pendant, you could

also fix the blossom to the frame by wrapping all
3 loops instead of just the bottom loop.
This blossom drop pendant is similar to the
previous pendant but has a ‘point’ at the base of
the frame and wider sides.
Follow the tutorial up to Step 16.
To help create the pointed frame, re-use the

drawn line from Step 13. Lay your blossom drop
down on the paper so that the line runs down the
centre of the blossom drop shape.
Begin to curve the long wire around the blossom

drop (as in Step 17) and use your chain nose
pliers to make a bend in the long wire where it
meets the line on the paper and the bottom of
the blossom.
Continue curving the long wire around the other

side to make a symmetrical shape.
Secure the blossom at the bottom of the frame

by wrapping through 2 loops of the blossom (I
prefer to leave the bottom loop without
wrapping).
These square-framed blossom drop earrings are

based on the pendant above, along with the
techniques used to create the pendant in this
tutorial.
They measure approximately 2cm wide x 2.5cm

high. The little hammered spirals have been
made from 3cm lengths of 20 gauge wire. The
beads used are 8mm coin beads which are
attached so they sit on top of the inner frame.
Make a small blossom drop shape (about 2cm

high). The gap in the centre of the inner frame of
the blossom drop needs to be just smaller than
the width of your coin bead.
Draw a 1.5cm x 1.5cm square on a piece of

paper and draw 2 lines running through the
corners (as in the diagram to the left).
Lay your blossom drop on the square to guide

you where to bend the long wire as you shape it
round the blossom drop. Make sure the
hammered frame lies behind the blossom drop.
These blossom drop chandelier earrings have a
wide gap within the drop shape with a diamond
shaped briolette swinging from inner spiral wire
pieces and faceted rondelle beads swinging from
the 3 blossom loops.
The inner spiral wire pieces are made from 6cm

lengths of 20 gauge wire.
Follow Steps 34 to 40 to create an open spiral at

each end of the 6cm wire lengths.
Lay the spiral pieces next to each other to ensure

they are the same length.
Grip the centre of the wire pieces between your

round nose pliers. Push the 2 spiral ends up and
around the pliers to form a loop (see the arrows
in the photo).
NB. It is important that you push in the direction

of the arrows in the photo so the loop is formed
correctly.
Your spiral pieces should look like this. Adjust

the spirals and the loops to fit within your
blossom drops.
Gently hammer the spiral pieces. After sanding

and polishing, attach them to the inside of
blossom drop with 4 different wrappings (see
arrows on photo).
Attach the diamond briolette bead to the bottom

of the spiral pieces. Finally, add rondelle beads
on headpins to the 3 loops of each blossom.
These coiled jewel blossom drop earrings are a

similar shape to the blossom drop chandelier
earrings.
This time I have added a faceted rondelle bead to

the front of each blossom with 26 gauge wire
wrapped through and around the blossom loops.
More tutorials from K S Jewellery Designs
Wire Flowers Coiled Jewels Hammered Swirl Link

Bracelet
Wire Blossoms Jewelled Flowers Five Bead Flowers
Spiral Loop Frames Lace Ups Spiral Bells
Genie Drops Hammered Hearts Blossom Drops
Website: www.ksjewellerydesigns.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KSJewelleryDesigns
Etsy: www.ksjewellerydesigns.etsy.com
Folksy: www.folksy.com/shops/ksjewellerydesigns
Blog: www.ksjewellerydesigns.blogspot.co.uk
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/ksjewellerydesigns
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial.
For comments or questions, please contact me at:

kristin_smith@sky.com
Please do not distribute, lend or copy.

Do not mass produce.
Please give credit to: KRISTIN SMITH (K S Jewellery Designs)
Copyrights KRISTIN SMITH

I hope you have fun making lots of different jewellery following my tutorials. I am happy for you
to sell your creations that you make (as long as they are not mass produced or made by
someone else for you) but I would be grateful if you would give credit to Kristin Smith (K S
Jewellery Designs) in any jewellery you make following or inspired by any of my tutorials and
my Facebook page:
ask that you include a link to
http://www.facebook.com/KSJewelleryDesigns
All of my tutorials are sold for your personal use only. They are not to be purchased for resale or
copied for free distribution. Please contact me if you wish to use any of my tutorials to teach the
design to your own students and, if I agree, I will give you written consent.
Thank you and happy creating!

Kristin :)

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Copyright 2014 KRISTIN SMITH (K S Jewellery Designs) Page: 1

This tutorial shows you how to create an elegant

It is ideal for a beginner/improver as it includes a

The tutorial also includes guidance on how to

NB. Plated wire is NOT recommended for the

- 20 gauge soft round wire (approx. 32cm)

Approximate size of pendant will be

Step 1:First you need a length of 20 gauge soft

Do not cut any wire yet.

Run about 25cm of wire from the end between

Step 2:Next clean the wire with a polishing cloth.

NB. The end of the length of wire near the roll of

Step 4:Grip the wire at that point (6cm from the

Step 5:The little teardrop shaped loop (loop 1)

Step 7:Make sure the long wire and the short

N.B. This is important to the final look of the

This time, wrap the short wire around one side of

Step 10:Place the blossom onto your stainless

N.B. My hammer is quite heavy (250g). It has a

N.B. Try not to hammer where the wires lie over

Step 11:Your blossom should look like this.

NB. My stepped dowel is a ‘Beadsmith Multi-

Step 13:To make sure your ‘blossom drop’ shape

short Place the tips of your chain nose pliers on the

Step 14:Bend the short wire so it runs parallel to

N.B. The straight part of the short wire should be

Step 16:Lay the blossom drop shape onto the

N.B. Make sure the front of the wrap you made in

Gently hammer the sides of the blossom drop

N.B. The side that you have hammered will now

Step 17:Start forming the ‘frame’ of your

N.B. Keep the curve as smooth as possible and

The bottom of the frame should lie just behind

Grip the long wire and the top of the blossom

Press down the cut end with your chain nose

Gently hammer the short wire only to spread the

N.B. Try to hammer up to the wraps you made in

back side Step 22:Your hammered short wire should look

If the end of the short wire is rough, smooth it

N.B. Don’t worry if the wire is slightly wider at

Step 23:Grip the tip of the hammered short wire

Curl the hammered wire forwards (towards the

Step 25:Grip the back of the bail with the tips of

Step 26:Your bail should look like this.

Firstly, place your wire piece to the side of your

Gently hammer the side of the frame only (up to

N.B. Leave the bottom part of the frame

Turn the blossom round and hammer the other

Step 28:To hammer the bottom part of the

Carefully hold your wire piece so that the blossom

Gently hammer the bottom of the frame to the

Step 29:Your blossom drop pendant should look

N.B. As the hammering has spread the wire, it

Feed the fine wire through the bottom loop of the

Tighten the wrap by gripping one end of the fine

N.B. Make sure the blossom sits in front of the

Step 31:Repeat the wrapping to make about 4

Finish the wraps at the back of the frame and cut

Press down the cut ends with your chain nose

Step 32:To remove any tool marks and to

Then repeat the process with the next sanding

When you have finished sanding, give the wire

Repeat to cut off a second 5.5cm length of wire.

Step 34:Gently rub the ends of the cut wire