All about jewelry wire

Today, for any look, you can pick up a lot of beautiful jewelry - both jewelry and bijouterie. In addition to the historical ones, a new direction has appeared in the modern world in the manufacture of such accessories from the so-called jewelry wire.

Jewelry wire is intended for making jewelry and bijouterie by hand. A very educational and exciting process that is enjoyable and of great benefit. Each master can realize himself, do something unusual and unique. Indeed, recently there has been a huge demand for handicraft, so many people want to wear something that others do not have.

There are two types of jewelry wire: artistic wire and jewelry wire itself.

It is an inexpensive material for making jewelry. One of the varieties is copper wire. Good and cheap material, convenient to get your hands on in the manufacture of products. Copper, with a layer of silver or gold:

• has a low price, as mentioned earlier;
• can withstand any kind of processing, it can be soldered, flattened;
• will serve for a long time without losing its attractive appearance.

Another material that comes in handy for practice is gold plated and silver plated wire. Over time, the coatings wear off and are not suitable for long-term service. And manual work is a very painstaking work, and if, as a result, the product deteriorates, it will be a pity, since so much labor was spent.For training in the manufacture of jewelry - just right, the material is inexpensive. If you still use gold-plated and silver-plated jewelry for long-term wear, you need to try so that they do not come into contact with the skin. It is better to choose earrings with this kind of coating, rather than bracelets and necklaces - as they fit snugly against the skin. And it is best to store products in bags, separate from other jewelry.

There is another type of wire with a colored coating or, in other words, enameled. The next variety is matte coated silver wire. This type is also called galvanized. Aluminum wire is also very practical to use, which is used for the manufacture of earrings, since the effect on the material during their manufacture is minimal. And with frequent squeezing with pliers and beating with a hammer to make, for example, a bracelet, aluminum becomes dull and loses its shine.

Two rarely used types: galvanized - it is mainly suitable for chain mail weaving, and brass from copper and zinc - brooches are made from it. It is a very durable material, but difficult to work with. There is also a plastic wire, which is used mainly for making children's bracelets or jewelry for dolls. A very common type of wire is the tiger tail. It is a braided stainless steel wire coated with nylon. Wire with memory effect is also made of stainless and black steel. Creates the illusion of an invisible base.

This wire is made from precious metals such as gold and silver. But it happens that the composition does not entirely consist of valuable raw materials. For example, wire made entirely of 925 sterling silver or gold-plated silver wire. The second type has a reasonable price, and the wire has different stiffness. One of the most expensive is gold wire. Therefore, it is used less frequently than others.

Then silver is in second place after it, but it is also not used often, as it is prone to microcracks. And various scratches spoil the appearance of the product. The commonly used wire is sterile silver. One of its most important advantages is durability, and it is not susceptible to microcracks. Its second advantage is softness and ease of processing.

The main criteria when choosing a wire are:

• the material from which it is made;
• product thickness;
• determination of stiffness;
• coating.

As mentioned above, wire is made from copper, steel, silver, gold and other metals. Thickness is indicated in millimeters - this is the most popular measurement.

The rigidity of the material for jewelry is of three types:

• tough;
• semi-rigid;
• soft.

The tough one is the hardest to work with, but it is better than others, holds its shape and is more durable. Coverage - the last criterion, carries basic functions such as presentable appearance and practicality. Before starting work, each master must imagine the future product, it is best of all to draw it. The next stage, you need to decide on the material that will be used. Then a wire is selected, one of those mentioned earlier. Determination of the size is different for each product. For rings one size, for chains, earrings and pendants completely different.

In the next video, you will find an overview of EFCO Jewelry Wire, Artistic Wire and Bead Smith.