The Basics of Wire Hardness | Jewelry 101 

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This is a tough question because metals are often mixed or plated on top of other metals to keep costs low. Honestly, if you have skin allergies, sticking to a pure metal like .925 sterling silver may be your best bet. It's way more expensive, but if you're making and wearing your jewelry, it's worth not having to deal with the skin irritation. Don’t mistake plating as a guaranteed barrier to your allergy. Do your research about what the base metal is before purchasing. You can go for gold, but be sure to check the karat weight to see how much gold is actually in the wire. Karat is a measure of the purity of gold. To avoid any potential allergies, go for a 14k Gold or higher. This is purer and less likely to cause a reaction. We hopes this helps!!!

@@JewelSchool thank you so much! I guess I am going to train myself on the wires I have and when it gets good enough I'll switch to pure silver - gold sounds too expensive! It's only for me and presents for friends and family so.... Thank you again for the info

1. A plated wire is a wire that has a base metal (usually copper or a mix of some other alloy) and is covered with non-tarnish coating in a specific color. The reason being it makes it a little more cost effective and looks just as good as buying sterling or gold. This does not change the gauge of the wire. However, you don't want to apply heat to them, as the wire will melt. As far as making jewelry, you should be able to use the different gauges for various projects as stated here. Just be sure if you hammer it, to hammer lightly. To address the softness/brittleness, the higher the gauge, the softer the wire. The lower the gauge, the lower harder the wire. Most will be half-hard wires. 2. Ah ha! great question! The answer is yes. For the purposes of these videos we don't always file the ends of ear wires, BUT it's a great habit to get into when you make your own ear wires. The wire rounder is perfect for this. Ear wires that are pre-made and you can by in bulk, will already be finished off, so no worries there! Wire Rounder: www.jtv.com/product/bead-reamer-and-wire-rounder-attachments-kit-incl-bead-reamer-and-assortment-of-burs/JSKIT0559?mcid=XSOjsyt How to Make your Own Ear Wires: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-C0kXL_0oq50.html Hope this helps!

You can use a half-hard wire. Usually a thicker wire like 16ga or 18ga will hold well!

From Susan: I like a half hard or medium temper wire for ear wires. That can be hard to find in plated metals. We carry beadalon’s german style wire in medium temper and it works like magic. Try it out! Comes in a kit with both gold and silver tone. www.jtv.com/product/20-gauge-round-german-style-wire-in-gold-tone-appx-6-meters/BDW027B?mcid=XSOjsyt www.jtv.com/product/20-gauge-round-german-style-wire-in-silver-tone-appx-6-meters/BDW027A?mcid=XSOjsyt

Hi! This is going to depend on your project. We really only use our wire for jewelry making, so not sure we can be much help. But a good rule of thumb is how strong do you want your piece to be? The lower the gauge, the harder the wire. So, your 12, 14, 16, and 20 gauges will be pretty sturdy and hold their shape, but are harder to work and bend. You may have to hammer the 16ga and 20ga wires slightly to harden them a bit more. Think of the soft wires almost like thread. They are mostly used to wrap beads onto harder wires. These are called dead soft wires and will be in the larger gauges (weird, we know!) like 22, 24, 26 and 28 gauges. Also, most craft wires if not .999, .925 or karat gold, will be plated. So be careful when hammering these wires too much as the plating can come off and never heat them with a flame, as they will melt. We hope this helps!!

Yes, bare copper wire is great for jewelry making!

Hi Margaret! To be clear, the copper wire Susan mentions is bare copper wire, which means that it's raw copper with zero coatings of any kind. There is a copper wire that has a protective coating. It's marketing by parawire and is 99% pure smooth copper wire with a clear protective coating for a resilient finish. You can use these (in the right gauge) for ear wires, absolutely. As far as sensitivity to the metal, that depends on the person. A good rule of thumb is to make sure you, or the person wearing it can tolerate it. Here is a project from Alicia using copper wire! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cYXKjthAB9s.html

I think this video might be what you're looking for! 3 Ways to use Cabochons: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RqXkmbAGkXs.html

I had same question artistic wire is v soft And German wire is what she used watch again and look at the wire labels. I dint think I have seen the German in the craft stores but will look again. Hope this is a few clues.

.999 fine silver is essentially pure silver- no alloys have been added. This is considered to be a dead soft metal.

Yes they will have the same hardness and thickness, i.e. 12ga, 16ga, half-hard, dead soft etc. You are just choosing the type of metal you want to work with whether that's gold, silver or possibly copper.

Hi! Here is maybe what has happened. Susan says, "You can't use steel in pickle. It will contaminate it. Copper and sterling are fine. Sounds like you may have contaminated your pickle and need to dispose of it."

1. The Bead Fix Gel adhesive is ideal for adhering glass, stone, metal, plastic, wood, and most other types of beads. 2. Epoxy E6000 Jewelry & Bead is used to secure knots and permanently attaching most types of stone, gem, crystal or bead to jewelry findings and base metal, silver, copper and gold jewelry pieces. 3. G.S Hypo Cement works for all types of non-porous bonding such as setting cabochons into a bezel or gluing glass beads together. The tube has a pinpoint applicator that makes it possible to do precision gluing. You can use it for securing knots as well. 4. Bead Fix two Part Epoxy: Repairs handmade beads. This two-part epoxy provides the strongest bond for most adhesive applications and, after curing, is effective at temperatures from -65° to 225°F. All parts to be bonded should be prepared (thoroughly cleaned and dried) before mixing the epoxy. 5. Bead Fix Quick Adhesive: Ideal for adhering glass, stone, metal, plastic, wood and most other types of beads. BeadFix is unaffected by cold and heat, and is water resistant. BeadFix is quick setting even on absorbent surfaces. Hope this helps!

Hello! Like Susan said, the thinner gauge wires like 24, 26 and 28 are most used in wire wrapping and for that, you'll want to use a dead soft wire. Katy's Messy Wrapped Beaded Ring tutorial is a great example of when to use Dead Soft. Here is that video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-u69_ycUbOW4.html Dead-soft wire will not hold its shape when paired with hinges or clasps. Next, if you are doing an open looped design like the bangle Susan demonstrated with, use a medium or half-hard. It's malleable and will hold its shape under a certain amount of stress. Full hard wire is ideal for clasps or hinges. Most of the wire JTV Jewel School carries is going to be a medium or 1/2 hard wire and is good for most basic projects. Hope this helps!

@@JewelSchool thanks 👍