Wire
Wire
Beading and Jewelry Wire
What Wire To Use
Though often used synonymously, strictly speaking, jewelry wire is not the same as beading wire (e.g. Soft Flex). Beading wires are often referred to by their brand name as a means of differentiation.
In choosing your jewelry wire (aka metal wire), there are 4 main aspects to consider:
Jewelry Wire - What Metal?
Jewellery wire comes in various metals like copper, brass, gold, silver, aluminum, steel, and so on. They also come in various finishes, colours, and platings. The choice will be a personal matter and will also depend on your purpose.
Wire Gauge
In jewelry making, the word gauge can refer to the thickness of wire or of sheet metal. And to make it a bit more confusing, the word gauge can also refer to a metal tool that is used to determine the thickness of wire.
Wire gauge is an important factor, based on your project needs. Wire Gauge conversion tables are very helpful because wire is often sold with size indication in millimeters, inches, or in gauge. It broadly depends on where you live. There is the metric measurement where the diameter of the wire is measured in millimeters. Then there is the Brown & Sharpe (B&S) system where the wire diameter is given in gauge.
So if you are used to knowing the size of wire in gauge, and a seller is selling with size measurement in millimeters, you need to be able to determine the wire gauge.
What are the Wire Gauges Generally Used For?
This is one of the most common questions that a beginners needs answered. Which Wire Gauge Should I Use? answers that very basic question.
Wire Hardness
Wire hardness refers to the malleability or pliability of the particular metal. And different metals have different hardness.
For instance, from hardest to softest:
Brass and Bronze -> Sterling Silver -> Copper
If you are using fine gauge wires, their hardness is irrelevant as all fine wires are pliable. But for the thicker wires, you want to choose the hardness that is appropriate for your work. For example, if you are making earwires, you want some stiffness and spring in the wire. But if you are coiling wire, you want the wire to be soft enough to wrap around the mandrel or bead.
Craftwire is usually made of copper with some (colored) coating. Craft wire does not come with different hardness. They are all quite soft and easy to work with. However when you buy raw silver, gold, or copper wire, you will need to specify the hardness you want.
- Full Hard: Fully tempered. Very hard and stiff. (rarely needed in jewelry making)
- Half Hard: Softer than full hard but will hold shape. Uses: for ear wires or hooks.
If working with precious metal wires, use the half hard rather than the dead soft. In precious metals, the half hard is easier to work with and produce more precise work. The dead soft precious metal wire will tend to "drift" during work, yielding imprecise workmanship. - Dead Soft: Very soft, no spring, very pliable. Uses: ideal for bending, coiling, hammering, and manipulating the wire a lot ~ wire sculpted jewelry.
How to Harden/Soften Wire?
Manipulating wire will harden it - hammering, coiling, wrapping. The manipulation causes its molecular structure to change - becoming harder and stiffer. This is called work hardening.
Metal can also be softened again via the use of a torch or kiln.
Wire Shapes
Here we are talking about the shape of the wire, seen from the cross-section across its diameter. Among the many shapes there are round, square, half-round wires. Round wires are the most common and most popular as they are the most versatile. Some jewellery artisans do use the half-rounds to wrap around the square wires when attaching them together.