The History of Wire-Wrapped Jewelry

            Examples of wire wrapped jewelry techniques date back to thousands B.C. Examples exist from the Sumerian Dynasty, containing spiraled wire components. The Phoenicians hammered gold or silver into thin sheets, cut them into narrow strips, and sanded the edges, producing a thin wire-like strip.  The wire was woven into decorations for breastplates. Other specimens from Rome show wire wrapped loops. Soldering techniques developed later, yet wire wrapping continued to be popular, since it was easy and economical to produce.

          The first reference to drawn wire is found in 8^th century France.  Around 1270 A.D. Gold and silver wire was made in France and taken to England by the knights, to make chain maille, the linking of round jump rings to make a strong protective mesh. In the 1400’s, wire was produced in England, where it was used to fix crucifixes and other religious symbols to chains.

In the 1800’s, the Bohemians used wire to connect stones and beads to create necklaces and bracelets. Such designs were popular with aristocracy.

          Today, machines can quickly stamp out designs that are cheap and fast to produce. Because it involves hand-crafted work, wire wrapping is not suitable for mass production. Wire-wrapped jewelry has withstood the test of time and changing fashions.