Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
July 20, 2010

Question:

Is there a gauge for wire that is not round?

-Mary in Santa Rosa, California

Answer:

I am not sure if there is a gauge for just square wire, however at this time I would like to explain how to use a wire gauge.

If you hover over this picture of a wire gauge tool, you will notice that the top of the slit between each number/size is straight on each side. This is where your wire is placed to determine its size. Simply fit the wire between the slits until the wire rubs against them: not too tight, but still snug.

You can measure round, half round, and square wire with this tool. For half round, make sure you measure across the widest point of the wire. For square wire, place the flat sides of the wire between the metal slits.

Here’s an image of the Wire-Sculpture staff measuring a 14-gauge round piece of copper wire.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
July 15, 2010

Question:

I’m still trying to understand the uses of different gauges and shapes of wire and their uses. If I am pleased with how my design came out, whether in a necklace, ring, bracelet, etc., does it really matter the type of wire used? Thank you!

-Ruby in Cumming, Georgia

Answer:

No Ruby, a lot of folks try using gauges and shapes that are different than whatever the chosen pattern suggests is used for a particular design. This is one of the ways that you can become more proficient with your gauge/temper skills. When you experiment with a variety of wire types, and those choices “work” and you are pleased with the results, you are on your way to becoming a designer!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
July 5, 2010

Question:

Many years ago while in the Army, I made cab rings using silver soldered techniques. Is it possible to solder gold filled wire forms?

-Bernard in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania

Answer:

Actually, traditional wire jewelry artists do not use solder or glue. However I did some research for you and found that most folks say soldering gold-filled is rather tricky unless you use solder-filled gold-filled. Although we do carry some soldering supplies, we do not carry this kind of solder due to the nature of wire jewelry design. Good luck!

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
June 23, 2010

Question:

I made a necklace using both 14kt gold filled wire and .925 Argentium Sterling Silver wire. Both wires were dead soft, and I think the necklace may be easily misshapen with wear. It is too large to fit in my tumbler without bending the design. Is there a way to harden wire without using a tumbler?

-Dolcie in Farmington, New Mexico

Answer:

As your necklace has already been made (I’m sure with beads, cabs, stones, etc.), it is going to be difficult to harden it. You could use a small chasing hammer to forge the sections that do not contain items–just keep in mind that forging will also reshape and stretch the wire.

My advice is to use this one as a prototype: wear it yourself as you take orders. Then, make another one to sell, forging the wire as you work the design.

P.S. – Wire-Sculpture has just reorganized the entire Findings section–hope that helps you find what you’re looking for!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Is now a good time to buy gold?

It’s a question that many jewelry makers need answered, but it’s a hard question to consider.

As you know, the prices of precious metals fluctuate; many newspapers print the current prices of gold and silver by the ounce, and this is a great statistic to watch as a jewelry artist, especially an artist specializing in precious metal wire sculpting!

Gold and Silver Wire

The economy is one of the biggest factors affecting metal prices right now. With the cautious US economic recovery and the European economy, particularly Greece, affecting the value of the dollar and the euro, metal prices have been fluctuating for months. And that can get hard to keep track of!

Now, if watching Wall Street programs doesn’t sound as interesting as say, finding new patterns or photographing your finished work, don’t worry–we’re watching the prices of gold and silver for you!

You may remember that we’ve updated our wire pricing to reflect current market prices–so our wire prices on Sterling Silver wire and Gold Filled wire are consistently up-to-date to match the lowest available price per ounce! You can trust that Wire-Sculpture has the fairest price on gold filled wire for our wire wrapping artists, and today we have gold filled wire available as low as $0.54/foot! As you may know, all our gold filled wire is 14kt quality gold filled wire, and will never rub off like cheap plated wire. You and your customers deserve only the best!

And of course, if you’re a member of our Gold Club, you’ll always receive 25% off all your purchases, even gold filled and sterling silver wire–click here for more information!

Last week, market gold prices took a small dive, and we updated our prices accordingly–our gold filled wire was much lower than usual! That means this is a great time to buy gold wire for your jewelry making! However, with the volatile US economy, gold prices look like they’re on the way back up. Wall Street economists are expecting gold prices to come back up this week, so this looks like a great time to invest in some gold filled wire!

So check your wire stash and make sure you have enough gold filled wire to meet the demands of summer fairs and competitions, in addition to your own custom work or online store. Stock up now and beat the market on gold filled wire and sterling silver wire!

Stay Twisted-
Rose Marion
Wire-Sculpture.com