I really should mention fine silver wire. Fine silver is .999 pure silver. It is more pliable than sterling silver, doesn’t harden as readily, and it doesn’t oxidize. It is easily used in textile methods such as crocheting and weaving. Sterling silver in an alloy of .925 silver and .075 copper. It retains its shape much better than fine silver but it won’t tolerate too much bending and twisting. As you may have experienced, too much stress on the wire and snaparoo. Sterling silver does oxidize, but, not too fast. Oxidation can lend to the beauty of a piece and can be achieved by using liver of sulfur.

One of the most common questions I am asked is “Do you prefer dead soft or half hard wire?” Hands down, I prefer dead soft for most applications. Wire hardens all by itself as you work with it, and one of the challenges is to keep it pliable. When do I use half-hard wire? When I am making ear wires and 16, 18, and 20g jump rings with my jump ringer system. Half-hard wire makes the loveliest ear wires. As far as the jump rings are concerned, the cut is a little cleaner with half-hard wire. I know, I know, I know, there are wire workers that will tell you to use half-hard wire all of the time. The best thing to do is to try a little of each and decide which you prefer.

So, we have gauges and hardness. Well, we also have wire fabricated into different styles. Round wire, half-round wire, square wire, pattern wire, low dome wire, tubing, triangle wire, flat wire, and more. If you get bored with using plain ole round wire, you see, there are many alternatives.

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