Q&A for How to Choose Wire for Jewelry

A really good material is pure sterling silver wire. Choose the width and thickness of the wire depending on personal preference.

If you're using silver wire (sterling, or "ss"), use the half-hard. It will be easy enough to work with, yet not pull out of shape. Avoid craft wire -- it would be too soft.

Thin copper wire works great for this.

Any wire that is strong enough to hold the piece of jewelry will work. There is not always a specific type.

I think that it would really depend on the button itself. I would use a thin half hard wire. If you are looking for an exact number, I would try between a 20 and 24 gauge. If you want to wrap the wire around the button, use a wire that will bend easily but stay in place. If you want to put the wire through the button, use a thin wire that will bend rather easily.

Give it a quick delicate wash with warm water, washing up liquid and sponge, then pat your piece of jewellery dry with a soft cloth.

A 20 gauge wire works well for most jewelry-making needs, such as wire-wrapping, but you can go with a finer gauge, such as 21, 22, or 24 for smaller more delicate beads and stones.

It depends what you want to do with the seashells. If you are stringing them, then a fine gauge, such as 26 or 28 would work. If you want to wrap them, then a 20 or 21 gauge might be a good option.

The wire gauge you choose can vary based on what you're wrapping and how you want it to look, but generally, 20-gauge wire is a solid choice for most wire wrapping jewelry projects. Other gauges, such as 26-gauge wire can be a great choice for smaller accents or embellishments. You may also want to choose different gauges based on the type of wire that you're using. For instance, copper, aluminum and niobium are much cheaper than gold or silver, so you might feel more comfortable purchasing larger gauge wires, which can be more expensive than smaller gauges. Larger gauge gold wire is going to be more expensive than smaller gauge, because there's more of it!

There are a ton of different types of wire you can use for jewelry making! Wire comes in materials such as aluminum, iron, copper wire, craft, colored, French wire, gold-filled, memory wire, sterling silver wire, silver plated and tiger tail. You'll want to choose wire based on what type of project you're doing. For instance, if you're trying to create a look where beads look like they're floating, you could use tiger tail wire to create an "invisible" setting. Tiger tail wire is a very common wire in jewelry making that's made of a braided stainless steel wire coated in nylon. The price of the wire you choose largely depends on what it's made out of. For example, gold wire is going to be more expensive than copper wire.

French wire is a used for a variety of projects, but it's often used in jewelry making. It's a coiled wire that can be made of a variety of metals such as copper, gold-plated, silver-plated, sterling silver, and vermeil. It's a great tool to use for accenting pieces of jewelry and can be really affordable, depending on what material it's made of. The smaller the coil is, then the more precious the metal it's made of is, which means the more expensive it is. You can find French wire at jewelry supply shops and craft supply shops. You can also order them online for even more options to choose from.