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Wire is a wonderful material for making jewelry. It can be used by itself to form earrings, necklaces, rings, and
bracelets. Wire can also be used with beads and stones to create beautiful jewelry designs. Metalsmiths use wire to create components such as jump rings and clasps, and pieces of wire are also soldered together to build cuff bracelets and pendants. However, you can make a large variety of jewelry by simply bending wire into various shapes and connecting these shapes together.
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| Sizes of Wire |
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| Wire comes in different size gauges. The larger the gauge number, the smaller diameter the wire. So, a 26 gauge piece of wire is thinner than a 16 gauge piece. |
Gauge Recommendations:
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| Shapes of Wire |
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| As well as gauge sizes, wire also is available in different shapes: half round, round, square. |
Shape Recommendations:
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Round is used most often, but other shapes of wire have their purposes and can create dramatic effects to your designs. |
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Half round is often used to wrap around other pieces of wire to connect them together. |
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Square wire is commonly used to wrap a cabochon or make a bangle bracelet.
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| Wire Strength |
| When selecting wire supplies, you will notice they are normally offered in dead soft, half hard, and full hard. As the names indicate, the wires have different degrees of strength or hardness. |
Strength Recommendations:
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Dead soft wire is the easiest to manipulate and is often used for sculpted pieces. This wire has been heated, making the wire easier to bend. Fewer tools are needed as these softer wires are can be bent with your hands fairly easily. |
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Soft wire works well for many wire projects such when bending into shapes or using with beads. It is not recommended for use with projects that hold large stones or projects that will have a lot of wear, such as bangles. |
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Half hard and hard wire works well for holding large stones or projects that will endure a lot of wear. Normally, you will need more tools in order to manipulate hard wire because the wire is too hard to manipulate by hands alone.
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| Basic Wire Wrapping Tools and Their Uses |
| #630520 |
Chain Nose Pliers |
Gripping wire and small tight bends |
| #630527 |
Round Nose Pliers |
Making loops and circular bends |
| #630525 |
Flat Nose Pliers |
Gripping wire and larger bends on heavier gauge wire |
| #630448 |
Mini Nippers |
Cutting wire |
| #68907 |
Nylon Jaw Pliers |
Straighten out smaller gauge wires prior to shaping |
| #63230 |
Double End Pin Vise |
Make twisted wire |
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