Jewelry Making Supplies Wire

You need oodles of patience and practice if you want to use wire to create jewelry designs. The most cost effective and cheap wire that you can use as a beginner is 18 gauge copper wire. This wire is available in plenty at local crafts stores, hardware stores or online stores and you should first master and practice the fundamentals of wiring with this elementary piece before graduating to other varieties of wires.

Before deciding on the kind of wire, you need to make sure about the kind jewelry piece you will be creating, the type of metal, its color, hardness, cut, size of jewelry to be made and carat (10-24). Based on that you need to decide on the shape of the wire.

The diameter of the jewelry to be made will determine the size of the wire. Thinner the wire, higher is the gauge number. By gauge I mean the size of the wire. Gauge is a term used in USA.

You need a thick wire to create jump rings. A thinner wire will be sufficient for an earring wire. Gold wires are the toughest. Silver is much more soft, malleable and ductile. Sterling silver is more hard and durable. Fixed gauge copper wires are the softest and the most ductile of the lot. It is because of their immense malleability that they are recommended for beginners.

The hardness of the wire will depend on whether they are being used to make jump rings or connectors or clasps. You can choose from 3 degrees of hardness based on your needs – full hard, half hard and dead soft. The hardness will depend on whether you are using gold filled wire or a silver variety.

A wire will become harder and harder as you increase the number or frequency of times it is pulled through the tool. Dead soft happens to be the first variety of hardness. As the name suggests it is very malleable and ductile.

Half hard wires are comparatively stronger but they can still be bent into desired shapes with ease and are ideal for necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

Full hard wires are used to eliminate the need for soldering pieces together.

The available shapes of wires are square, half round, round among others.

When you have graduated to a seasoned pro from a beginner, you can move on to more expensive wires like gold wires, white gold or rose gold wires having a carat of 14 or 18 or 22. 24 carat gold will be too soft.

You can also use the nylon coated wires.

Metal for Jewelry Making

In this article I shall try to enumerate the most popular picks among metals for creating jewelry.

Gold

Gold is definitely the eternal favorite among jewelry making metals and has won hands down on the popularity charts, down all the ages. All the countries separated by geographical barriers and cultural differences are united on this one common front – fondness for the precious yellow metal that has a very high resale value and emanates a dull yellow shine.

It is also one of the toughest metals, second only to titanium and platinum and can therefore, securely hold precious gemstones in its fold. The carat ranges from 10 to 24. 22 carat gold jewelry is the maximum possible purity that you can expect, but it is rather soft. Most jewelry stores stock 18 to 20 carat gold jewelry which is tough and extremely durable. Gold can be mixed with other alloys to create rose gold and white gold.

White Gold

When normal gold is mixed with palladium or silver and given a rhodium coating to impart a white glow, the alloy is called white gold.

Platinum

A very dense, heavy, super strong/tough and 95% pure

White metal that has warmed its way into people’s heart despite its astronomical cost is platinum. It is one and a half times more expensive than gold, but can securely hold precious gemstones better than any other metal.

Silver

It is much more affordable than gold and therefore more popular. Pure silver is rather soft and ductile and prone to breakage. That is why an alloy called sterling silver has been created out of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper to impart toughness. Sterling silver does not tarnish with age.

Stainless Steel

Chromium and steel have been mixed to create this anti-corrosive and rust resistant metal that is slowly picking up its way along the popularity charts because of its dirt cheap cost, durability and hardness.

Titanium

A silver white durable lightweight metal that is making waves in the jewelry industry thanks to its hardness (tougher than gold, thrice stronger than steel, toughest metal on earth) is titanium. One cannot solder titanium.

Tungsten Carbide

A highly strong, durable, very heavy, scratch resistant white metal used for making wedding rings for men is tungsten carbide.

Other metals and alloys that are and have been frequently used in the present and in the past for making jewelry are brass, copper, nickel and bronze.

Jewelry Making Silver

With the soaring sky high prices of gold, people are finding it difficult to stay true to their passion for gold and as far as platinum jewelry is concerned, it is even more expensive than gold and therefore way beyond the budget of middle class people.

But that doesn’t mean that people have stopped purchasing jewelry. Rather customers are giving gold jewelry a miss and flocking towards silver jewelry which has been around for as long as gold, but got overshadowed by its golden glitter.

USP of Silver Jewelry

The best thing about silver jewelry is that although it is a precious metal and a favorite with the jewelers while creating ornamental pieces(because of its malleability and ductility) right from times immemorial, it is way cheaper than gold. So if you are flinching under budget constraints, stop fidgeting and head for silver jewelry that is just as beautiful, mysterious and exotic as gold.

Gold vs. Silver Jewelry

Many young women are of the opinion that gold is clichéd and yellow metal looks cheap. White metal is the “in” thing right now and spells effortless sophistication, class and elegance. If gold is high on the bling factor, then the USP of silver is its understated elegance.

If yellow metal stands for royalty , richness, luxury, pomp and over the top splendor, white metal like silver ,which is an excellent substitute for platinum or white gold, stands for grace, charm, affordable elegance and quiet beauty. Gold bedazzles all.

Silver appeals to the discerning through its elitist shimmering and soothing white color. Silver jewelry is perfect for those who believe less is more and attracts connoisseurs through its minimalist appeal and affordability. The difference is rather like the one between the sun and the moon. Besides it boasts of a 4000-5000 years of heritage.

Sterling Silver

100% silver can be very soft and too ductile for creating jewelry pieces and it is prone to breakage and bending. That is why sterling silver jewelry is created from silver that is 92.5% pure and the rest 7.5% is filled up by copper. Thus sterling silver is basically an alloy that ensures hardness and durability.

USP of Sterling Silver Jewelry

Unlike normal ordinary silver which tarnishes and becomes black with the passage of time, sterling silver alloy can stand up to the march of time, will never deteriorate in color or magnificence and maintain its shine, polish and luster for years and years.

It is also low maintenance, easy on the pocket, requires hassle free storage and can hold precious gemstones just as well. So, it’s time to ring out gold and bring in silver (preferably Larimer sterling silver).