Wire wrapping can create some of the most beautiful and delicate looking pendants and jewelry. There are a lot of great things about taking up wire wrapping as opposed to other types of jewelry making. It is relatively inexpensive, it doesn’t require a large or specially set up place in a home or studio to work in, and it doesn’t take much equipment to get started. Really all you need to get going with wire wrapping are some pliers (preferably a couple of different styles), wire cutters, wire, something to wrap, and some creativity.
One of the most confusing parts about wire wrapping jewelry is knowing what type of wire to use. It can get confusing seeing all different kinds of descriptions like half-hard, dead soft, half round, not to mention all of the different gauges that are available! Here is some information on the various types of wire that most wire wrapping artists use to help you to select the right wire for your project.
The first, and most obvious, thing that you will need to decide is whether you want to use sterling silver wire or gold wire for your wire wrapping project. When it comes to choosing wire metal for your project a lot will depend upon the color of the stone, cabochon or bead that you are wrapping. Typically stones with warm colors like orange and yellow look better with gold wire while cool colors like blues and purples look better with silver wire. You can also use copper wire in your wire wrapping projects which looks great with a variety of different colors. Use your best judgment and choose whatever you think will look the prettiest.
Next, you need to select the gauge of wire that you want to use. When it comes to wire gauge, the lower the number, the thicker the wire is. So a 16 gauge wire will be thicker than a 24 gauge wire. Thicker wire is more difficult to bend and to get to obey. However, if the wire you choose has too high of a gauge that makes it too thin it won’t be able to hold its shape once you have wrapped it. Here a few common wire gauges:
16 gauge wire: Thick wire that is usually used for wire sculpture or creating neck wires.
18 gauge wire: This is a medium thickness wire that is great for making clasps or for wrapping beads that have large holes.
20 gauge wire: Slightly thinner than 18 gauge wire. Works great for creating your own ear wires or for wire wrapping most beads or stones.
22 gauge wire: Thinner wire that works well for more delicate wire wrapping projects where a lighter touch is needed.
24 gauge wire: Thin wire that works great for wrapping small crystal or stones. More flexible which means that it requires a gentler touch when working with it.
26+ gauge: Thin wire that is best used as accents in wire wrapping projects or for attaching small beads to a sturdier base. This is quite flexible and doesn’t hold its shape as well as lower gauges.
Once you have chosen you wire gauge you then need to choose whether to get round, square or half-round wire. Square and half-round work best for wire wrapping stones or cabochons since they have a flat side that you can put up against the object you are wrapping for more stability. All three types of wire will work for wrapping beads with a hole so it is more of a matter for personal preference.
Finally, you will need to choose between dead soft, half hard or full hard wire if using precious metal wires. As the name implies, dead soft wire is softer and more flexible and malleable than the other two types. Because it is very easy to bend it can be used to build a variety of creative shapes or accents. However, it should not be used for any sections of your piece that need to hold weight such as a clasp since it doesn’t hold its shape well under pressures.
Half-hard is between hard and soft and offers benefits of each. It is the most common type of wire used in most wire wrapping projects since it is easy to bend but still will hold its shape well under pressure so it can be used for wrapping and for clasps that won’t get too much pulling or use.
Hard wire is the hardest and holds its shape extremely well. It is more difficult to bend than the other two types, but makes excellent structural elements for your piece such as clasps or connectors.
If in doubt about your specific needs the safest bet is to order half-hard wire since it offers both flexibility and moderate stability.
