Golden Snitch Ring

A while ago, I made a golden snitch pendant. I was really happy with how it turned out, and the reactions I got when wearing it were amazing. Unfortunately, I lost it. Time went by and I started to think about making a new one. But, this idea was postponed when an other thought entered my head.

In the intro of that instructable, I mentioned wanting to make a ring first, where the wings of the snitch wrapped around your finger. Since I always prefer trying new designs instead of remaking something I've already successfully made, I decided to give it a shot and see how it goes!

It took a few tries to get to this final result, but I think it is absolutely worth it. I love the way it looks, I love the way it feels, I even love just staring at it ; )

Step 1: Materials

To make your own golden snitch ring, you will need:

- wire, gauge 21/ 0,81 mm and gauge 26/ 0,46 mm

- pliers

- a golden bead (see next step)

Step 2: The Bead

Choosing the right bead might have been the hardest step of this project. It needs to be the right size, the right colour, etcetera. I also wouldn't recommend using a bead with a colour coating: as you wear the ring, the coating will get damaged and your golden snitch will become a not so golden snitch.

I tried making a golden bead by wrapping it with gold coloured wire first, but after that the size of the hole was too small to be used. I used a golden brown glass bead eventually, especially in sunlight it looks amazing!

Step 3: Starting the Base

Cut off a piece of gauge 21 wire with a length of about 15 cm/ 6 inches. Add the bead to it and bend it as shown in the third picture, making the bead sit in the middle.

Step 4: Positioning the Wings

Bend the wires slightly further, so they cross each other above the bead as shown. Use your round nose pliers to bend them back as close to the bead as possible, this will give your ring a realistic snitch look.

Step 5: Framing the Wings

For this step, it's important to know the circumference of your finger. The length from one wing end to the other needs to be that size. For me, it's 5 cm.

Place the bead in the middle of the part of the ruler you're using (so at 2,5 cm for me) and then bend it at both ends, at the 0 mark of the ruler and the 5cm mark (for me). This will make sure your wings are the same size. Gently start curving them down as shown in the last picture.

Step 6: Closing the Wings

Shape the wings by using the top part of the mandrel. Let the wire go slightly straight down at first and then back up with a curve, for which you can use the mandrel. Wrap the end of the wire around the top wire and cut it off, clamping the end down to make sure not to leave it sticking out. Repeat this for the other wing.

Step 7: Starting the Wrapping

Cut off a piece of the gauge 26/ 0,46 mm with a length you feel comfortable using. I just cut 2,5 rounds. Insert the wire through the wing, while making sure that it goes over the top wire and under the bottom wire. Wrap the end of the wire in the direction of the end of the wing a few times before cutting it off and clamping the end down. To start the wire wrapping itself, wrap the wire around the bottom wire once.

Step 8: And More Wrapping

Add another wrap to the bottom wire. In the third wrap, let the wire go back up to the top wire, but now let it go underneath it. Repeat the step used to wrap the bottom wire, but only wrap it two times instead of two.

The reason you're doing this is that the top and bottom wire don't have the same length, the bottom wire is longer. This way, I've found that you end up with the best straight lines of wire.

After wrapping the top wire, go back to the bottom wire and wrap this three times again. Repeat this pattern of double and triple wrapping for the entire wing.

Step 9: Halfway Through

Once you've reached the end (I made a few triple wraps double wraps here), wrap the wire around the top wire a few times, just like you did when starting with wrapping. Clamp the end down and enjoy your work so far!

Step 10: The Other Wing

For the other wing, follow the exact same steps as for the first one. Double wraps around the top wire, triple wraps around the bottom wire.

Step 11: FInished Snitch

And after that your snitch itself is finished!

I used a slightly different wire wrapping method for my golden snitch pendant, if you prefer that look, the explanation of the wrapping starts here.

Step 12: Starting a Circle

Take your mandrel and place one of the wings on the right size. Start by wrapping just that wing around it. Repeat this for the other wing.

Step 13: Shapin' Up

After having bend both wings, place your bead on the right size of the mandrel and bend the entire ring around it. As you might see, the ends aren't perfectly bent yet, that can be fixed with round nose pliers.

Step 14: Three Attempts

So, I ended up with a nice ring, it did however take me a few tries to get there. My first attempt is pictured on the left in the first picture. I wanted to make the wings wrap around my finger curved up/down, not simply straight.

This was a wise lesson learned before attempt number two happened. Although it certainly looks nice and I'm happy with it, it sure has a lot of flaws. The position of the wings next to the bead is great for pictures, but just doesn't look that good when being worn. Also, I bent the entire ring at once here, which resulted in a bit of an uneven, bumpy circle.

Step 15: Finished Ring

And well, this is attempt number three. I absolutely love how it turned out. I really hope you liked this instructable, if you did I would love to know : )