Multi Colored Turquoise

Capturing the beauty within the Southwest, graduated all natural Chinese Turquoise in an array of exploding colors blue, green, rust, olive and black then accented with pewter spacers and toggle. This is a stunner for summer and fall or any time of year with jeans and a t-shirt or that little black dress; designed by Gayle. Look for this design and several others in our collections.

Turquoise: Spiritual attunement, cleansing, healing, protection, valor, soothing, peace of mind, guidance through the unknown, romantic spontaneity.

Sapphire Not Just for the Gemstone

Well, the name sapphire just doesn’t extend to the gemstone, it also in this case is the name of one of the most stunning beaches in the Caribbean --

Sapphire Beach located on St. Thomas. Yes, the clear waters are a crisp clear blue with creamy sandy beaches and it is just as beautiful as the gemstone itself.

Wire Working Tools

So we discussed working with wire, but what about the tools used for wire working. There are several different types of jewelry making tool. I started out with the most common of the type, beading; and grew into wire working and sculpting. As I learn each technique and put my own twist of creativity into the design, I move into other more advanced or new techniques and types of jewelry making.

Here are a few of the most common used wire working tools; at least from my studio. I would recommend first though, before investing into the tools and wire that you take a class from your local craft, hobby or beading store. This will give you the chance to really get your hands ‘dirty’ before putting out the money in the right tools and wire.

Wire working tool are some of the same ones that are used in every type of jewelry making; however there are a few specialty tools for working with heavy gauge wire and to make things like jump rings, connectors and findings. Here are some of the more common essential wire working tools. In future posts, I’ll be listing some specialty wire working tools and techniques.

Bent Nose Pliers(to the right): Use these to shape or straighten wire and to hold it in place while using other tools. I keep a pair of both large and small sizes to fit most projects. Inspect your pliers before purchase and avoid any with notches on the inside as that can scratch wire. Over time, your pliers will start to show wear and tear; to keep them around longer I wrap blue painters tape around the jaws to keep from marring the wire.

Round Nose Pliers(to the left): These are perfect for curving wire or making hooks and loops, which can be used as findings or for attachment pieces. Again here I have several different sizes ranging from small, medium and large depending on the design, stones and project.

Chain Nose Pliers (to the right): These pliers a are square on the outside, flat on the inside, with a tapered nose to reach small places. These are excellent for making angles in wire.

Wire Cutters (to the left): These are used to cut normal wire such as gold, sterling, and artistic wire. Do not confuse them with the specialty memory wire cutters that are only used to cut memory wire. The sharper the cutter, the better, as it will last longer.

Jeweler’s Files (to the right): These come in sets with several sizes and shapes which are used to smooth off the metal. Wooden handles make it more comfortable to hold than all metal files; but is not necessary. Whatever your choice, make sure to get a variety of sizes and shapes to fit any project.

Bench Block (to the left): This is one of my favorite wire working tools; it is used to flatten wire and metal. It gives you a nice, sturdy, solid surface to work from.

Chasing Hammer (to the right): This round tipped hammer is used with the bench block to hammer wire flat. You can also use it in more advanced techniques to give a more hammered or textured look to your wire or metals.

Thing-a-ma-jig Wire Jig (to the left): For making just about any loop, curve, link, or design, a wire jig makes it easy. If you can draw or move a string in any shape, then you can do the same thing with wire in a jig.

Working with Wire

In a lot of my designs I use different metals, quite often I try to do something with wire; either as links, swirls, or freeform wire on a stone or pendant. When working with wire gives my imagination that little added bit of ‘flare, spice, or spark’ that I’m looking for when working with natural stones, glass, pendants, or crystals. Most often I get asked, “How do you know which is the right size and what material is best?” The answer, you just learn with much time, research and patience.

One of the first things you need to consider when working with wire is to look at durability, malleability, style, color and manufacturer.
Wire is measured in gauges, from 16 all the way to 34; with 16 being the heaviest/thickest and 34 being the smallest/thinnest wires. Typically, the thicker the wire, the sturdier it will become. However, the type of material used for the wire also affects how flexible a particular gauge will be.

Rules of Thumb

*For bracelets, heavy necklace pendants designs or winding wire around very large beads, making charms or creating chain links, a 16 to 18 gauge is suggested.

*Gauges 20 to 24 are considered medium to thin thickness and are good for wire wrapping beads, as well as for constructing findings, headpins, and ear wires. This is typically the gauge used for making earrings and 20 or 22 are the best for ear wires.

*The smallest, skinniest wires are 26 to 34 gauges. They are easily manipulated and flexible, perfectly for use with small beads in embroidery and stitch projects. You can find wire in brass, copper, pewter, or artistic non-tarnish are inexpensive and typically soft wires to work with; while sterling silver and gold filled are more expensive and typically vary in hardness’s from dead-soft to half-hard.

*Sterling Silver is great looking and made soft or hard. The only thing to remember is that silver will tarnish.

*For wire that will not tarnish and will retain its beauty and luster, try working with non-tarnish wires; it is very inexpensive and usually made from a copper core; covered with silver, gold, or colored coating that has been treated so that it will not tarnish.

*While the others run the spectrum of price; the most expensive wire to work with is gold or gold-filled, which does not tarnish. Some wire works will substitute gold-plated wire for cost effective designs.

Whatever your choice, you will find that working with wire brings out the artist and craftsman in every design.

Browse our available to purchase designs combining wire and other metals.