Sterling Silver Wires

To choose the right kind of silver wire for your project, you should know how you want the piece to look and what kind of piece you are creating. You will need to consider both the hardness of the wire and the gauge of the wire. There are three kinds of sterling silver wire. They are: Dead soft, half hard and full hard. Dead soft wire is very easy to bend. It can be better for wire wrapping or for making wire beads but will often not hold shapes intended for wire wrapping. Dead soft silver wire is usually used by people who "work" silver because it hardens as its shaped and hammered. Half hard sterling wire is stronger than dead soft but is still quite malleable. It is excellent in wire wrapping smaller or heavier beads and is a good choice for beading and jewelry making projects. Full hard silver wire is hard to use and bend and not necessarily recommended for jewelry making - at least for a hobbyist.