We have had several requests for a simple stand that could display just one bead, one earring or one bracelet. The stand show above is our effort to make a simple bead stand. Making this stand uses any of our WigJig tools and a 2" and 1" Larger Round Super Peg. This is a relatively easy project to make, but the stand will work best in when made in 12 or 14 gauge wire, and because of this heavy gauge of wire, it is likely that this project is not appropriate for a beginner. The instructions for making this jewelry stand begin below.
Step 1: Cut a segment of 12 or 14 gauge wire 12.5" long for a 3" tall stand, 13.5" tall for a 4" tall stand or 14.5" tall for a 5" tall stand. In the stand above, we used tinned copper wire.

Step 2: Make a loop in one end of the wire. The technique for making a loop in larger gauges of jewelry wire is discussed here.

Step 3: Straighten your wire by holding the loop in the wire and pulling the rest of the wire repeatedly through the jaws of your nylon jaw pliers. With 12 gauge wire you may find that it will help to straighten the wire by hammering it against a cutting board or Wire Press using a nylon hammer or rawhide mallet.

Step 4: Position one regular metal peg and one 2" Larger Round Super Peg in your jig as shown below Place the initial loop in your wire on the metal peg.

Step 5: Wrap your wire tightly around the Super Peg. Remove the wire from your jig. With larger gauge wire like this you may find that it will help to remove the wire and the Super Peg from the jig and reposition the wire on the Super Peg and then hammer the wire into the Super Peg with a nylon hammer to help the wire to tightly follow the round shape of the Super Peg.

Step 5 (Continued). You will also need to bend the initial loop slightly so that it will lay flat in the same plane as the circle of wire. This will require a small adjustment using your bent chain nose pliers. When the wire naturally assumes a round shape, laying flat as below, you are ready to go to the next step.


Step 6: Now we need to bend the wire tail to a vertical position. This is done by grasping the wire with your bent chain nose pliers about 3/16" from the point where the wire overlaps in the picture shown above. Hold the wire tightly in your pliers and make a 90 degree bend in the wire. When completed the end of the wire should point up when the circle of wire is laid flat on a table. Adjust the position of the wire tail by eye until it is vertical as shown below.


Step 7: Now we need to make a "U" shaped bend in the end of the wire. First make certain that the end of the wire has a flush instead of sharp end. If the end is sharp, cut 1/8" of wire off the end with the flat side of your flush cutter toward the finished piece. Grasp the wire in your Step Jaw Pliers or your Round Nose Pliers and make a bend of at least 180 degrees as shown below.


Step 8: Now we go back to our jig and using a 1" Larger Round Super Peg and one metal peg we make a semi-circular bend in the end of the wire, using the "U" shaped bend to hook on the regular metal peg. Because we used a 2" Super Peg for the base of the stand and a 1" Super Peg for the top of the stand, the "U" shaped bend in the end of the wire should naturally end up over the middle of the stand. You may need to orientate the loop slightly so that it is centered. In the stand shown below, I did hammer the straight segment of wire between the 2" circle and the 1" semi-circle using a nylon hammer. The wire was placed on a flat surface and hammered to fully straighten the wire. (I used an anvil, but a bench block or cutting board or Wire Press would also work fine.)


This completes our Bead Stand. For an earring stand you will probably want at least 4" of height. For a bracelet stand, 5" of height is recommended.