Sterling Silver Wire

Silver Wire is one of the single most useful Jewellery Components ever invented. Stones And Findings has a variety of shapes and gauges Sterling Silver Wire. In Jewellery Making, Silver Wire can be used to weave, connect components, thread beads, tie and frame, and embellish beads. Silver Wire can also be hammered and twisted into shapes and be, in itself, the centre of the Jewellery Design.

SHAPES OF STERLING SILVER WIRE

Round Silver Wire

Round Silver Wire is the most commonly used in Jewellery Making. As most bead holes are drilled round, round Silver Wire fits the best. Unlike square Silver Wire, round Silver Wire will not show edges and you don't have to worry about misalignment. Round Silver Wire is the best for beginners. They are also the most readily available of all Silver Wires. They come in spools, coils, and foot-length straight pieces.

Square Silver Wire

Square Silver Wire are needed in certain projects where round Silver Wire just will not work. For example: when you need hanging pieces not to swing or swivel. You can use Square Silver Wire as the cog that fits into a square hole. Square Silver Wire also produces a nice faceted look for fancy wire wrapping.

Half Round Silver Wire

Half Round Silver Wire is available at some specialty bead stores. It has some properties of the square Silver Wire when you need things secured, but also can provide the aesthetics of round wire when wrapped.

Sterling Silver Wire Hardness

Silver Wire is generally available in 4 grades of hardness: hard, half hard, soft, dead soft.

When to use Harder vs Softer Silver Wire

With thicker Silver Wire, it is better to work with soft or dead soft wire. Hard Silver Wire, in thicker gauges is very difficult to manipulate. For thinner Silver Wire, you have more flexibility. Depending on your project, you should select Silver Wire hardness accordingly. If you wire wrapping many little light weight pearls or beads, you should use soft or dead soft if the beads are very small. The harder the Silver Wire, the more difficult it is to manipulate, so if you're making many wraps, it will get tiring if the Silver Wire is hard. If what you're wrapping is heavier, and you need it to be more secure, use harder Silver Wire. It won't bend or unwind as easily. If the holes in the beads are larger, then you can use thicker Silver Wire that is soft. However, the Silver Wire will cost more.

How to make Silver Wire Harder or Softer

The process of making Silver Wire harder is called Tempering. You can do this yourself by hammering, or tumbling. The more you manipulate Silver Wire, the stiffer it becomes.

The process of making Silver Wire softer is called Annealing. This would be done by exposing the Silver Wire to high heat, such as a flame. This will re-align the molecules of the Silver Wire. Annealing is one of the basic techniques learned in a silver-smith class. It is essential to working with silver, and it is not as easy as tempering, and requires a lot more equipment. Fortunately, Silver Wirecan be ordered already soft.

Tutorials, Videos on Earring Making and Wire Wrap

Just wanted to say that Stones and Findings have some great videos on the simple techniques in jewellery making.

If you are interested, here are some examples of the Jewellery making techniques they have on their Youtube Channel!

Creating your Own Beading Hoop --



Making an Earring Hoop with Wire


Side Drilled Stone -- How to Wire Wrap



Link to More Videos!

http://www.stonesandfindings.com/jewelry-making-articles/articles/how-to-make-a-matching-necklace-and-earring-set