The second one, not so much.
The instructor failed on multiple levels. She only listed the wire for the bracelet frame in the class supply list, specified too heavy a gauge for the frame, and claimed that 10 feet of wire would be enough for weaving. She also didn't provide an pic of an example woven bracelet; if I had seen one, I might not have signed up because I visualizing something else. During class, the instructor had us hammer out the pieces of wire for the bracelet frame and then try to wrap two of the hammered pieces onto the third piece. It's nearly impossible to bend 16 gauge wire into a tight loop and when you try to, it BREAKS, especially when it's been hammered. I broke one of the pieces for the bracelet frame and ended up having to improvise. It was a waste of real silver wire.
When I got home, I decided to make a woven bracelet so that I would have an example bracelet to refer to. Once again, I hammered out three pieces of silver-plated copper wire, this time 20 gauge, and once again, one of the pieces broke. I re-made a frame without hammering out the frame pieces and it was infinitely easier to attach two pieces of round wire to a third piece. I then wove 22 gauge wire between the two outer frames. I tried to add beads at one point, but the addition of beads made it difficult to maintain a tight weave, so I decided to weave from both ends and stop somewhere in the middle of the bracelet, where I wired in a crudely faceted labradorite bead. I think that if I were to make this bracelet again, I would design it the same way - put either a large bead or a string of smaller beads in the middle of the bracelet, surrounded by tightly woven wire, which could look like a metal sheet from a distance.
