Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
July 6, 2010

Question:

What’s the difference between the types of polishing cloths? And what’s the best way to remove any tarnish from Argentium wire?

-Kalyna in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Answer:

Well, back in January, I provided an easy way to remove a rare tarnish from Argentium–just use a lint-free cloth, such as tee shirt material. In my opinion, you don’t need to purchase a special polishing cloth to clean argentium, but if you wish to use one, any polishing cloth will work.

As far as the differences between polishing cloths, please click to see this video tip from Mary Bailey and Sherrie Lingerfelt, showing polishing cloths with and without powdered rouges.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
July 1, 2010

Question:

I am fairly new to this whole wire and beading thing, and as I do not want to start ordering online yet, I was wondering where the best places to get good prices on wire would be.

I have tried Michaels, but they do not have the type of wire I would like to purchase. I am most interested in sterling silver, in round, half hard wire.

-Rachel in Salmon Arm, British Columbia

Answer:

As I am not familiar with the type of stock Canadian craft stores carry, and you wish to purchase sterling silver, my advice would be to find a local bead store. If they do not already carry what you’d like, most of them will be pleased to order it for you. As you mention you are new to jewelry making, you can find some great companionship, help, and classes at your local bead store, too. Nothing wrong with starting local to get your footing, and then looking online for bulk wire.

When you do feel comfortable ordering online, of course, Wire-Sculpture would be a great place to start. Wire-Sculpture has sterling silver wire in many gauges, shapes, and hardness, at extremely competitive prices. The ladies on the Customer Service line (1-877-636-0608) really know their stuff and will help you out with any product questions you have. The staff is currently working on getting our international shipping rates lower, there will be a big an announcement when that is finalized!

Happy Canada Day to our Canadian friends!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
June 26, 2010

Question:

I just watched your video where you made an adjustable ring using four wires. What kind of black tape did you use to temporarily hold your wire ends together?

-Dtya in Mankato, Minnesota

Answer:

Which tape to use for holding wire for wrapping is a question that comes up often from our customers.

I had to laugh when I read this particular question, because I actually didn’t have any tape with me! It’s been said that necessity is the mother of invention; we found some electrical tape in the studio and that is what I used for that particular video project.

I do have to mention that it is not my first choice! Electrical tape leaves a lot of residue, and being plastic. it stretches. A good stand-by tape is quilter’s tape or painter’s tape. I also have to admit that I have used pieces of fabric band-aids, duct tape, and whatever I could find when I had to. Most recently I have a new tape love – pin-stripe tape! Found at auto supply stores, this tape leaves very little sticky residue and with continuous reuse it has proven to be the longest-lasting tape I’ve used thus far.

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
June 14, 2010

Question:

As an alternative to plastic bags of wire lying around, could I use empty spools to store my wire? Will it have any adverse effects on the performance of the wire?

-Cal in Baldwin, Wisconsin

Answer:

Many people prefer to store their wire on large spools. If you wish to do so, my advice is to make sure you keep the square wire “on the square,” and to coil any wire shape or temper slowly and carefully around a large spool, so as not to work harden it.

Storing wire in closed plastic bags to prevent tarnish is not all that hard, either. We have several methods explained by Sherrie in this video tip.

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