Understanding Wire Gauges in Jewelry Making
Haley Mindes Friday, March 1, 2013 at 9:00AM 
Bracelet by Maizhka.Many students here at the Sheffield Jewelry Design course ask about when to use what wire for their projects. Hopefully these tips will keep you from buying several spools of wire that are not right for your project. Although learning by trial and error is the best way to learn, even if you burn a few bucks in the process. Eventually you will find a use for that spool of wire that turned out to be unusable. The beautiful bracelet above is by Marizhka.
When purchasing wire you not only have to choose the right gauge, which is the thickness of the wire, but you also have to be aware of the temper / hardness of the wire. The hardness refers to the malleability or stiffness of the wire, referred to as dead soft (easy to bend), half hard (malleable), or full hard (extremely stiff wire). The most common gauges used in jewelry making range between 12 gauge ( very thick ) and 30 gauge (very thin). The lower the gauge number the thicker the wire.
Pendant by Urban EclecticDead-soft, is the most malleable, often used when a design calls for making several bends and loops in a heavy gauge like this pendant by Urban Eclectic. Wire becomes harder as it is manipulated, so using dead-soft wire will enable you to manipulate it longer before it becomes too brittle to work with. Overworked wire will break. Keep in mind, while dead soft wire is easiest to manipulate, it does not hold its shape well.
Rings by Neroli Handmade
Half-hard wire has been hardened but is still malleable. Normally used when working with sterling silver or gold filled wire. It will retain its shape better than dead soft but is not as easy to manipulate. For heavy 12, 14 or 16 gauge wires you will need tools to shape your design; they will be too difficult to shape and bend with just your hands. These gauges are good for stiff bracelet frames and rings. These wire wrapped rings by Neroli Handmade are a heavy a gauge wire embellished with a thinner gauge wrapping wire .
Size 18, 19, and 20 gauge wires are used for creating ear wires, clasps, connecting large beads or to frame the shape of your earring. 19 gauge wire is ideal for making ear wires but also the most difficult size to find. Many people use 20 gauge to create ear wires. You can flatten the ear wire where it sits in the ear if 20 gauge feels too thick for comfort.
Earrings by Calico Jun
Earrings by Sara HickeyFor wire wrapping most beads a 22 gauge wire is widely used. Crystals and beads fit on it too. The 24 and 26 gauge wires are good for semi precious stones that have smaller holes in them, such as pearls. These wire wrapped earrings by Calico Juno and Sarah Hickey are a great combination of heavy gauge frames wrapped with semi precious stones on a smaller gauge wire. A 28 or 30 gauge wire is extremely fine and used for fine knitting or crocheting with wire; it is not easy to work with.
Rings by Haley M.It's ideal to practice shaping your design with craft wire before creating it with precious metal wire. Craft wires are sold by the spool made of a base such as copper, available in many colors. Precious metal wires are sold by the inch or the foot. These wire wrapped rings by Haley M. are made with 20 gauge solid nickel wire, so it will stay a silver color and not wear down to show the copper underneath if overworked or over worn.
Mobile by My Wire ArtIf this has not been too much information to take in all at once, you may like to know that wire also comes in a variety of shapes such as round, half round, square and twisted. You can make many types of crafts with it such as this amazing mobile created by My Wire Art.
Sheffield School began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.
jewelry making, wire gauges in Jewelry
Reader Comments (1)