I have long admired circular brick stitched designs. These are typically created with metal rings as the foundation.  But since I am able to cut wood rings, I thought they would make lightweight versions.

The added advantage of wood is the natural color. You can also change the color to suit color palettes by simply staining or painting the wood.  See my tutorial on How to Sand, Stain, Paint and Seal Laser Cut Wood Jewelry Designs.

I now have concentric ring collections in two sizes available in pairs in my shop.  The large collection has a total of 14 rings in each pair with holed round studs. The small collection, also available as pairs, 10 rings.  I cut them this way because it provides beaders and crafters with design options as you will see below. 

Note that the larger rings can also be used for decorations - like beaded Christmas ornaments! 
 

Also available is a 6 pc small ring set - this size is a good one for smaller designs or as a starter ring to build beaded designs outwards. 


Sometimes the laser cutting generates soot at the back of the rings.  Here is a tip on how to quickly sand this away. Just place masking tape (you will need more than one strip for the larger collection) on the right side of the rings. 


Sand them as a group. I use 400 grit sandpaper. Be sure to wear a dust mask. Those handmade cloth masks you might have made like I did, will come in handy!  You should also sand the front especially if you go on to paint or stain the wood. 


Circular brick stitch is easy.  I just knot the Fireline to begin with. Leave about 6 inches for the tail - that will be used to stabilize the first bead and to knot and finish off. 


Pick up two beads, take the thread around the ring and sew through the second bead where the thread exited. This then positions the bead with hole facing up. Pick up another bead and repeat the last step. 

The inspirational tutorials at the end will also go over how circular brick stitch is accomplished. 


You can use different kinds of beads.  Here is a comparison of 8/0 with 11/0 beads with the wood frames. The first row against the wood ring is brick stitch. I then added a stack of beads leading away form the first bead of the first row.  I then picked up another stack of beads on the needle and sewed through the second bead of the first row.

I continued this up and down addition of bead stacks. The thread is more visible at the end of the stacks with the 11/0 beads on the right.  Even tension - which I did not achieve here - is key in making the bead flare symmetrical. 


I used Delicas on the outside of this silver painted wood ring pair of earrings. The Delicas definitely gives a different finish to the design. 


Another option is to add more beadwork below the rings :



As I mentioned before, the concentric rings allow you to put one ring inside another :


The internal ring need not be centered as you can see with this pendant design below :



Not a beader? The rings can be used as connectors. The jump rings I have in my shop for linking my other wood designs will also work for the rings. 

I recommend you use chain nose pliers and bent nose pliers like I did to be able to grasp and close the rings. 


Ease the wood rings flat and you will find that the jump rings are just right, not loose at all.  This simple ring design in the patriotic colors is very easy to make.  You can use acrylic paints or marker pens.  I often use the oil based ones like this one.  The oil based marker pens can be used on a variety of surfaces, not just wood. 


You can also team up the rings with any of my double holed wood round connectors which come in different sizes. 


Another idea is to use the wood rings for tassel jewelry and for macrame work. More about those techniques another time!



INSPIRATIONAL TUTORIALS

Seed Bead Bliss has one of the loveliest beaded mandala earrings tutorials I have seen!


I also love this variation by HuongHandmade.  Note how she uses larger round beads for visual impact at the lower part of the rings. 

 

Italian beader, StefyPerlinart has a larger beaded mandala tutorial.  She actually starts with a smaller metal ring and builds her design outwards. 

 

I have featured Estelle of Petit Bout de Chou's tutorials before. This tutorial of hers shows an ombre color scheme in the inner ring of her design.  She is still using brick stitch but two beads at a time. Please note that her design is not for commercial use. 



Before You Go:
Photography 

I used  my iPhone 8+ for final product photography in natural light. I used  the Orangemonkie studio which comes equipped with LED lights - for artificial light photography in my windowless basement studio. The Foldio2 Plus is excellent . I use the Foldio3 because I need the room for tutorial photography. 

My online class Easy Guide to Smartphone Jewelry Photography is now available. Read more about it here.  

Disclosure 

This blog may contain affiliate links. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation. 
 ______________________________ 
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM