What Is The Best Wire To Use For Jewelry and Where Can I Get It?by Rachel
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I just collected sea glass from Builders Bay in Bermuda. I want to make jewelry and wonder what is the best kind of wire to use and a possible place to get it. Thank you. Love your jewelry. Never realized sea glass is so beautiful! Rachel ---------------------------- Lin's Answer: Hey Rachel, Thanks for the compliment. I have had fun with it over the years. As to your question, I first started off with craft wire that you can buy at a crafts store to practice with, but really for your money's worth, getting copper wire is way cheaper. There are ways of saving money if you will be using a lot of wire. I have heard of some getting their copper at Home Depot in electrical wire and then stripping it, but I'm lazy and don't want to bother with that, so I get almost all of my supplies online. Online sites are generally very helpful and reasonable and have a huge selection. You don't have to have a wholesale license to buy from them either but because they're so big, their prices are very reasonable. I have found that copper, sterling silver, and gold-filled wire all have their own unique qualities. I use "dead soft" simply because it's gentler on my arthritis. Afterward, I can throw the jewelry into a tumbler and work harden it. You can get "dead soft," "half hard," or "hard" but most people I know who do wire wrapping use the dead soft. Hope that helps you out. Have fun! Lin
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