ALL ABOUT WIRE

Here you can find our full list of facts about wire.

ALLOY: The combination of metals in set proportions to give the resulting alloy better or different characteristics. For example, pure gold (24K) is much too soft for most jewelry applications, so small amounts of harder metals such as copper, silver or nickel are added.

ALPACA: A silver substitute which is an alloy of approximately 60% copper, 20% nickel, 20% zinc and 5% tin.

ALUMINUM: An inexpensive, lightweight and very malleable metal that is silver-white in color. In the past, it was used for very inexpensive jewelry, but is now the metal of choice for everyday items, from kitchen foil to engine blocks. Aluminum is also used in many alloys to improve malleability.

ANNEAL: The process of heating glass or metal to a specific temperature for a set period of time (depending upon the substance and the intended application), then slowly cooling it to toughen the substance and reduce the brittleness that develops while working it. Small pieces can be heated with a torch; larger items are generally annealed in either a kiln or an annealing oven.

ANODIZE: To produce a controlled oxidation of a metal's surface by means of a chemical (acid) bath through which the positive end or "anode" of an electrical current is passed. A thin protective film is created on the surface by the resultant change in the molecular structure of the top layer only. Anodization can give the metal a lustrous sheen, or even change the coloring of the surface.

AQUA REGIA: A mixture of three parts hydrochloric acid and one part nitric acid used to test the purity of gold and platinum. The mixture is one of the few chemicals that can dissolve those metals.

ASSAY: A test of purity for an alloy to determine the percentage of precious metal content.

BASE METAL: Any metal other than the precious metals, such as lead, bismuth, tin, antimony, copper, etc. Alloys of non-precious metals are also referred to as base metals. Findings made of base metal (silver or gold colored) are the cheapest to buy, and are great for practice for beginning beaders and children. For better pieces, use gold filled (a layer of gold stamped - not electroplated - over a base metal core) or sterling silver findings. Base metal findings are usually made of a nickel alloy material that can cause allergic reactions in some people, especially when used in body piercings. Those people who are sensitive to nickel alloys should use only 14 K (or higher) gold found in quality gold-filled findings. Surgical grade stainless steel findings are also available (usually referred to as Hypoallergenic). Most nickel-sensitive people can also tolerate sterling silver with no problems.

BLACK HILLS GOLD: Jewelry made in the Black Hills area of South Dakota, which frequently has a distinctive three-color (yellow, pink and green gold) vine and leaf pattern. The Black Hills Jewelry Mfg. Co. produced the original designs in three colors in Deadwood, South Dakota in the early 1900s. Many jewelers still make Black Hills jewelry today (usually in 10K gold) but by law they must use Black Hills gold. You can create a nice effect by combining rose gold filled wire, yellow gold filled wire and silver.

BLUE GOLD: 18K Gold alloyed with 25% iron (75% gold), giving a bluish tint to the metal.

BRASS WIRE: Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, sometimes including small amounts of other metals, but usually 67 percent copper and 33 percent zinc. It comes in various shapes and tempers, and is a wonderful product to practice with, although generally much stiffer and more difficult to work with in wire sculpting than sterling silver or gold-filled wire. It takes on a lovely polish, but tarnishes and becomes dull very quickly. Some jewelers work exclusively with brass wire specifically because of these properties. Jewelry made from brass wire can be quite beautiful and salable. To many jewelry artists, brass wire is considered to be practice wire and the outcome costume jewelry, rather than fine jewelry

BRONZE: An alloy containing at least 60% copper plus tin and sometimes other metals.

BRUSHED FINISH: Created by the use of a stiff metal brush along the surface of metallic jewelry to add texture, and to produce a slightly less reflective surface.

CASTING: A process for making metal items that has been used for thousands of years. Molten metal is poured into a mold. There are different methods of casting including centrifugal (or investment), sand casting, and the lost wax process.

CHAIN MAIL or CHAINMAILLE: A way of joining metal rings together to produce metal "fabric." Chain mail was used in medieval times for flexible armor, and is used now to make very striking jewelry.

CHROMIUM: Hard, shiny, gray-white metal that resists corrosion quite well. Sometimes used in costume jewelry as a coating over other metals.

COLD-ROLLING: (See "rolling")

COPPER WIRE: Reddish gold in color, this wonderfully versatile metal was the first metal used by man for tools, implements, weapons and artwork. 

COPPER WIRE use predates recorded history, and though it was later replaced by bronze and iron for weapons and tools, its popularity and usefulness has not waned in thousands of years. Copper is malleable and easily worked by chasing, hammering, engraving and even cold-rolling (See Rolling). Copper is very malleable, but not suited for casting in its pure form, although alloys containing a high percentage of copper may be. Copper is quite inexpensive, is great for practice wire, or in two- or three-toned pieces. Copper is said to have healing properties for rheumatic or arthritic conditions. The only real drawback of copper, at least for jewelry applications, is that it oxidizes quite readily, will leave a green or black mark on the skin. To prevent that discoloration, copper jewelry is often coated with a clear protective surface, such as an acrylic, but the coating eventually wears away. Copper wire is a great way to get started in wire sculpting with very little cost.

CRAFT WIRE: A craft wire is a permanently color-coated copper-based wire, which is soft and very malleable. Retains its shape moderately well, particularly in the larger gauges.

DRAWPLATE: In metalsmithing, particularly wire jewelry applications, a drawplate is a die plate through which wire is pulled to reduce its diameter. Making your own drawplate is quite simple, using an inch-thick block of hardwood, and drilling a series of holes at least ¼" apart, from 1.5mm to 10mm in diameter in .5 increments.

DUCTILE: A substance is "ductile" if it is easily pulled into a thin wire. The most ductile metal is gold, and it is the easiest wire to pull through a drawplate to reduce the diameter.

DWT: The abbreviation for PennyWeight in the Troy System of Weights.

ELECTROPLATE: (See Plating) Rings, ear hooks or wires, and crimp beads.

FINENESS: Usually expressed in parts per thousand, it is the proportion of silver or gold in a metal alloy. For example, Sterling Silver is .925, meaning that 925 parts per 1000 are silver, and 75/1000 is another metal. Fine Silver is 99.9% pure silver. Gold fineness is measured in Karats.

GAUGE: The measurement of the thickness of an object, particularly wire and sheet metals. Wire gauges for jewelry applications will range from a very thick 4g to a very fine 34g. You must remember that the smaller the gauge, the larger the diameter of the wire. You will find a table of gauges and their corresponding diameters in both metric and standard (U.S.) units at Table 2.

GERMAN SILVER: Also known as NICKEL SILVER, this alloy is actually roughly 60% copper, 20% nickel, and 20% zinc. If approximately 5% of tin is present in this alloy, it is called Alpaca. As you can see, there is no silver in German Silver. German silver wire is very inexpensive and you can create lot's of jewelry for pennies. It should be noted that about 1 person in 20 has a metal allergy to nickel.

Gold is even used to coat other metals and make it more desireable such as gold filled wire used to create wire jewelry of all kinds of shapes and sizes. Where gems, cameos and other precious stones are used in the creation. Even the names of people are created using this gold filled wire and an entire art has been created in the last 100 years. Gold Name writing has been done in the US since the late 1800s.

Gold occurs in nature in almost pure form, and is the most malleable and ductile of the metals. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity, and in its pure state is very soft. One troy ounce of gold (the size of a sugar cube and equal to about 31 grams) can be hammered into a sheet (called gold leaf) covering 108 square feet or pulled into a thread fifty miles long.

When you buy gold jewelry, it isn't pure gold. The purity or fineness of gold in the jewelry is indicated by its karat number. 24-karat (24K or 24 Kt) gold is as pure as gold for jewelry gets. 24K gold is also called fine gold and it is greater than 99.7% pure gold. Proof gold is even finer, with over 99.95% purity, but it is only used for standardization purposes and is not available for jewelry.

When alloyed with another metal to make it harder, more durable and lest costly, the amount of gold (as in parts per 24) in the alloy must be stated if it is over 10K, which is the minimum legal standard in the U.S. Anything less can not be called gold. Throughout the world, the minimum karat standard varies. In Italy and France, 18K is the minimum; in Canada and England the minimum is only 9K and in Mexico, it's only 8K. Gold articles produced in the U.S. do not have to carry a karat or other quality mark. The exception occurs when a karat mark is applied, then the manufacturer's registered trademark must be stamped near the karat mark and must be accurate in accordance to federal law.

The weight of Gold and other precious metals is measured in Troy Weight, rather than the standard metric system or American pounds and ounces. See Table 3 for conversion of troy ounces to millimeters and pounds.

The various alloys of gold exhibit different colors. See Table 4 for a list gold colors and the proportions of metals used in the alloy.

GOLD FILLED WIRE: Gold-filled wire, sometimes called rolled gold, is a wonderful choice for wire jewelry makers. It is appropriate for all types of jewelry. For most people, it will last their entire lifetime without showing signs of wear. It is made by forming a tube of gold and filling the tube with a base metal, usually jeweler's brass. The gold content is 5% or 1/20 of the total wire. Gold-filled wire for jewelry offers an affordable, durable choice at a fraction of the cost of solid karat gold. It is generally available in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and tempers in white, yellow (traditional) and rose gold colors.

A Few Facts About 14Kt Rolled Gold Wire (Gold-Filled Wire)

• 14/20 Rolled Gold wire creates high fashion jewelry at a fraction of the cost of solid gold and sells extremely well because of the fascination with gold.
• There is 100 times more gold in 14 kt. Rolled Gold (gold filled) than in gold plate.
• A 14/20 Rolled Gold pendant is usually considered a lifetime piece of jewelry.
• 14/20 Rolled Gold is usually used for pendants, pins, collars, bracelets, and small rings.
• Gold filled wire is available in 10k, 12k, and 14k, being the best quality and most durable. In the symbol 14/20, the 14 stands for the karat of gold used, and the 20 means 1/20.
• Basically, gold-filled wire is a good metal for a good price. It should always be represented properly and never misrepresented to your customer as solid gold. I collect old wire jewelry pieces and have several with actual dates on them. I show my customer these items to illustrate that gold-filled jewelry can stand the test of time.

Care of 14kt. Rolled Gold Jewelry

Your customer will usually ask, "How do I take care of it?"

It's easy. Just care for it as you would any other jewelry. It is quite durable. A simple inexpensive way to clean rolled gold jewelry (gold fill) is to soak it for a minute or two in a mild solution of ammonia and water or a commercial liquid jewelry cleaner. Rinse the jewelry thoroughly with water afterwards and let dry.

Today modern day wire artists use a rotary tumbler with steel shot inside along with a liquid bath to clean, polish and harden there gold filled wire after it has been created into a finished piece of jewelry. This method makes is much more simplified to polish gold wire.

Because of the nature of wire sculpture, give your customer a cotton filled box for storing separately from their other jewelry. This will cut down on tarnish and keep it from being scratched by other jewelry. Plus it reduces the chance of a wire being pulled by being connected to another piece of jewelry. Remember this is NOT gold plate and in many cases is handed down from generation to generation. It is not unusual to find an old gold

filled pendant that is nearly 75 years old!How to Keep from Scratching Your Gold-Filled Wire

Take a very fine file and gently round off all eight corners of your flat nose pliers and even the straight edges in the front of the pliers. Be careful when rounding the inside strait edges because these are the two edges that you grab the wire with. Don't round too much off. Make sure all surfaces are polished for a very smooth surface. This should prevent most of your gold filled wire from being scratched.

GOLD PLATED WIRE: Gold-plated metal has a very thin layer of gold on the surface of a base metal, usually applied by the process of electroplating. Plating makes the layer of gold a much thinner layer than Gold Filled, and it is most commonly plated with 10K gold.

HARDEN: The process of manipulating malleable wire so that it will retain its shape and design, and strengthen it so it will bear the weight of other components in a piece. The three most frequent methods of hardening jewelry wire are drawing, manipulating and striking. Simply working soft wire back and forth with the hands will impart some hardness, as will working with nylon jaw pliers. Drawing refers to pulling wire through a smaller hole in a wood plate to reduce its diameter. To harden and flatten a shaped piece at the same time, the piece is put between two pieces of leather which are then placed between two jeweler's blocks. The blocks are then struck by a hammer. You can also use a leather mallet to strike the piece when it is laid on a protected surface that will not mar the metal.

HARDNESS: A measurement of the malleability or temper of a substance. When purchasing raw materials for wire-work, you will find that wire comes in several different levels of hardness, only a few of which are commonly used by jewelers.

In jewelry wire, hardness or malleability is graded soft or dead soft, quarter hard, half-hard, hard, and spring hard. You may also encounter wire or sheet metal hardness that is designated by numbers instead of names. The numbering system, which goes from zero to 10 or more, is based on the number of times wire has been drawn though progressively smaller holes in a drawplate. Each jump in the number designates a doubling of the preceding number. Soft or dead soft has a number of zero, since it isn't drawn through a plate. Quarter hard is drawn through once, half-hard has been drawn twice and hard has been drawn through four times. Spring wire has been drawn eight times through successively smaller holes. The best hardness to use for an application will depend on the intended use of the wire, as shown below:

Dead Soft Wire is extremely malleable and can be bent easily into a myriad of shapes by using the hands. It does not hold its shape in stress situations, such as clasps, until it is hardened. You would use dead soft if the application has several loops and swirls which are more perfectly done with bare hands.

Half-Hard Wire is malleable, but most people will need to use tools or jigs to bend it into shape. Half hard will; however, maintain a fairly intricate shape under moderate stress after it has been work hardened. It is very useful for light weight-bearing parts of wire-wrapped jewelry.

Hard or Full Hard Wire holds its shape for wire-wrapping jewelry and for making clasps and other findings that will likely be stressed. Tools are recommended when bending or manipulating hard wire.

The gauge (thickness) of the wire will also have an effect on its hardness. For example, a piece of 12 gauge wire is relatively thick, and even at dead soft hardness will not bend as easily as 18 gauge wire of the same hardness.

To test for hardness of sheet metals, the Vickers Hardness test (designated HV) is very precise, calculating hardness from the size of the indentation a diamond-shaped pyramid produces under measured pressure. The Knoop Hardness test (HK) is based on the same principle as the Vickers test, but is used on brittle materials such as glass and ceramics using lower pressures. The Mohs Scale of Hardness is a rating system for minerals based on their resistance to scratching by other minerals, on a scale of one to ten. Mohs used ten minerals to determine the degree of hardness, ranking the softest (Talc) as #1 and the hardest (diamond) #10. It is not very precise.

IRON: This metal is very seldom used in jewelry because of its lack of luster and because it is so brittle.

KARAT: The fineness of gold, equal to one part of 24 in gold alloys. (See Gold)

KARATCLAD: A trademark for a very thick gold electroplating process which is approximately 14 times thicker than standard electroplating.

MALLEABLE: This term indicates that a metal or alloy is easily worked by hand or other tools.

MEMORY WIRE: A hardened steel wire that will retain its original shape even after repeated use. Available in a standard and "Cadmium" (silver-colored and rust proof) finish, and in diameters suitable for rings, bracelets and chokers.

MILANESE MESH: Also known as Milanese work or Milanese chain), is an intricate mesh made from spiral wires braided together and used to make necklaces and bracelets. Frequently used in Italian jewelry.

MILLING: The process of cutting metal while it is spinning, usually on a lathe, with symmetrical shapes and patterns.

MOHS SCALE (See Hardness)

MOKUME-GANE: A Japanese metalsmithing technique that results in a wood-like finish by alternating layers of thin, colored metals and laminated together. Designs or patterns are then punched, filed away or hammered into the laminate, producing unique and delicate patterns. 

NICKEL SILVER: Not silver at all, except in color, for this Nickel Silver alloy contains no silver, but is mostly copper (about 60%), with approximately equal parts of nickel and zinc added. With the addition of a small percentage of tin, the alloy is then called Alpaca. This alloy was first used in the mid-1800s by the Germans as a silver substitute.

NIOBIUM: A lightweight, tough, hypoallergenic refractory metal, usually anodized to produce vivid colors for costume jewelry. Mars easily and cannot be soldered.

NOBLE METALS: A less-frequently used term for the precious metals gold, silver and platinum.

ORMOLU: An alloy of copper, zinc and tin, ormolu is used to imitate gold. The French term for ground gold, "Ormolu" was frequently used for candlesticks, furniture embellishments and picture frames during the Georgian and early Victorian eras. Today, the term is most often applied to any gold-like finish used for intricate decorations.

OXIDATION: The naturally occurring chemical process in which oxygen atoms bond to atoms of another material (such as metal) producing a different chemical compound. We are most familiar with oxidized iron ("rust") and oxidized silver, which is called "tarnish." Copper turns green when oxidized, adding an aesthetically pleasing, aged look to roofs, weathervanes and other outdoor decorations.

PALLADIUM: A durable metal related to platinum, palladium has recently been added to the short list of "precious" metals. It is less dense and more malleable than platinum, but has a lower melting point and reacts more readily to acids. Palladium will also develop tarnish when heat is applied. Palladium was first used in jewelry in 1939 as a substitute for platinum, which was being used for the war effort. After the war, it was used rarely because there were difficulties working it. When white gold is alloyed with palladium instead of nickel, a gray-white gold is produced. Because palladium has become very useful in catalytic converters, its price has risen dramatically (per ounce, more than gold or silver), making it an impractical alternative to platinum.

PATINA: A film formed naturally on metals through exposure to the elements for an extended period. Oxidation will turn copper and bronze green, silver black and gold reddish. Patina is generally thought to enrich the value of antiques, but can be artificially produced by the controlled application of acids or electrolytes to newer objects.

PATTERN WIRE:  Also called Strip wire. Not wire at all, but strips of either base or precious metal that are stamped, embossed or engraved with a decorative pattern. This is a great wire to make cuff bracelets. See one of our bracelets in our Jewelry Making Ideas Section open to the public..

PEWTER: A soft metal alloy composed mostly of tin, with lead, antimony, bismuth, copper and/or silver added. Polished pewter has a silvery luster. Pewter can be easily worked by several different methods, the most popular being casting of charms, hammering of larger items, and turning on a lathe to produce candlesticks or goblet stems.

PLATING: The process by which one metal is coated with another using electricity. Also known by the terms electroplating and Galvanotechnics - the latter named after the inventor of the process. To produce less costly jewelry components, inexpensive or base metals are coated with a thin layer of precious metal, usually gold or silver. Chromium, copper and rhodium are also electroplated, although rhodium is sometimes used as plate.

PLATINUM: Very strong, very dense, and 60% heavier than gold, Platinum was discovered in Russia in the 18th century. Platinum used in jewelry is usually alloyed with a small percentage of another metal of the platinum group (iridium, osmium, rhodium, ruthenium or palladium) and/or cobalt to increase its malleability. All of the platinum group of metals are rare, with platinum and palladium only slightly more common, and of course they are all expensive.

PINCHBECK: Also known as "false gold," this is an alloy of copper that looks like gold. Pinchbeck was invented by British watchmaker Christopher Pinchbeck (1672-1732) in the early 18th century. Pinchbeck consists of 83% copper and 17% zinc. Ironically, there have been many imitations of Pinchbeck (which itself is an imitation).

PMC®: The registered abbreviation for Precious Metal Clay®. PMC® is just what its name implies, precious metal in the form of clay. It is available in pure silver mixed with water and an organic binder (80% fine silver powder, 20% water and organic binder) and in 24K gold in a similarly compounded base. It can be rolled, cut, shaped and even extruded from a pastry tube, in other words, just like sculpting clay. Once the shape is made, it is fired in a kiln or special oven at temperatures from 1,650ºF for silver and to about 1,830ºF for gold.

POT METAL: An inexpensive metal alloy commonly used for costume jewelry. Not used as frequently as in the past, as it nearly always contains a significant amount of lead.

PRECIOUS METAL: The precious metals are gold, silver and most of the metals from the platinum family. They are all rare, with gold present in only 3.5 parts per billion of the Earth's crust, platinum about 45 parts per billion and silver in 73 parts per billion. All of these metals are strong and heavy because metallic bonding and their closely packed atomic structures.

REFLECTIVITY: This term is used to describe the degree of sheen on a metal.

RHODIUM: One white metal of the platinum family of precious metals. Rhodium is quite expensive, and is often used to plate both precious and base metals giving them a hard, platinum-like sheen.

ROSE GOLD: A gold and copper alloy which is used for special affects in making jewelry due to its reddish color. Rose gold is also known as pink gold and red gold.

ROUGE: An abrasive compound used with a buffing wheel to polish metals. Rouge is graded by the size of the abrasive, from very course to very fine (even though none of the grit is as large as any fine sandpaper), and each of the grades in between have different uses. For cutting down a rough surface (or removing heavy oxidation), Brown Rouge (also called Red Rouge) is considered a semi-aggressive primary compound because it contains large grains of abrasive (even though they are so small they can only barely be felt when rubbing the compound between your fingers). Brown Rouge is used for the first step in the polishing process for unfinished metal. Some metalsmiths only use Brown/Red rouge. Green Rouge is finer yet, and is sometimes used for a second polishing. White rouge contains the very finest abrasive and is used for the final polishing to produce a very high shine.

ROULZ: A metal alloy consisting of copper, nickel and silver, named for the French chemist who invented it in the 1800s. 

ROLLED GOLD:  A very thin sheet of gold is laminated to a lesser metal, such as brass, then heated under pressure to fuse them together. The fused metal is then rolled into a much thinner sheet and used to make jewelry or other objects, and is marked RGP for Rolled Gold Plate. Rolled gold jewelry wears very well over time.

ROLLING: In metallurgy, this is the most-used method of taking metal from a cast ingot to a sheet or bar, with sheet metal being the most common product. Rolling is done by using either the hot or method. The metal produced by the cold-rolled process will have a much smoother surface and be stronger.

RUSSIAN GOLD FINISH: A finishing technique for jewelry that produces a matte, antique look.

RUTHENIUM: Another of the platinum group of precious metals, it is usually abbreviated Ru or Ruth. Ruthenium in small amounts is added to platinum alloys to strengthen and harden them.

SATIN FINISH: This method of finishing metal produces a semi-gloss finish that is between a matte finish and a brilliant one. It is done by making minute, extremely shallow parallel lines on the surface of the metal, reducing its reflectivity.

SETTING: The base or section of a piece of jewelry that holds the stone or gem. If a setting has metal behind the stone, it is referred to as a closed setting. Where there is no metal behind the stone, the setting is considered "open." There are many different styles and types of settings, including:

SILVER WIRE: Sterling silver wire is a fine, naturally-occurring precious metal with an almost white sheen that is used for many purposes, including jewelry. Pure silver is usually alloyed with other metals, such as copper, for use in jewelry and hollowware. Silver tarnishes after exposure to air, which forms a thin layer of silver-oxide on the surface. Silver often occurs near copper lodes.

SILVER 800: Silver alloy which contains 800 parts per 1000 (80%) silver and 200 parts per thousand (20%) copper, and is used primarily for casting.

SOLDER: A metal alloy used to join other metals by applying heat that melts the solder but not the metals being soldered. Available in gold and silver as well as base metal, solder also comes in different grades and required temps. Not all solder melts at the same temperature, and it is crucial that solder be of a grade that melts at lower temperature than the metals to be joined.

STEEL: An alloy of iron and carbon where the content of the carbon ranges up to 2%. When the alloy contains more than 2% carbon, it's defined as cast iron. Steel is very seldom used for jewelry:

STERLING SILVER WIRE: Silver with a fineness of 925 parts per 1000 (92.5%) silver and 75 parts per thousand (7.5%) copper, which increases the silver's hardness. Sterling is quite malleable and ductile.

SURGICAL or SURGICAL STAINLESS STEEL: Any one of a family of low carbon alloy steels usually containing 10-30% chromium. The chromium provides exceptional resistance to corrosion and heat. Other elements may be added to increase corrosion resistance to specific environments, enhance oxidation resistance and impart special characteristics. In jewelry, which is sometimes labeled "hypoallergenic," we see it in a few findings, such as ear wires or posts.