Sterling Silver Wire, Half Round, 12ga, Dead-Soft (troy ounce)

12 Gauge Jewelry Wire is fairly heavy. This is a popular size for making bangle bracelets and other wire bracelets. It's stiff enough that you'll want good-quality jewelry tools when working with it, but it's not too hard to shape. For soft wire such as copper, you may need to work-harden the wire to make sure bracelets and rings don't bend out of shape. Sometimes the process of forming your jewelry into the proper shape, work-hardens it enough. For other designs you may need to hammer-texture them or use a wire whacker on your finished design.

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See Related Products links (below) for similar items and additional jewelry-making supplies that are often used with this item.

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Tips for Using Sterling Silver Wire, Gold-Filled Wire, and Precious Metal Sheet

• To keep track of your different materials of wire and sheet, mark each material with a different color of permanent marker. (Sharpies work great.)
• Any writing on wire or sheet is easily removed with acetone or fingernail polish remover.
• To prevent pliers from marring delicate, expensive materials such as sterling silver wire, fine silver wire, and gold-filled wire: wrap a bit of tape around serrated pliers so the serrations don't scrape or mar your wire. Nylon jaw pliers are also very convenient to use, and Tool Magic anti-scratch coating is a staff favorite!
• With all wire gauges: the larger the gauge, the smaller (thinner) the wire diameter.
• New to working with wire? See Wire Jewelry 101 for more information about gauges, hardness, and what size of wire is best for which types of jewelry projects.