So choosing the gauge wire you will need for a project definitely depends on the amount of wear and tear (i.e a bangle gets more wear and tear than an earring). Here are some tips for ordering WIRE from Rio Grande, particularly what gauge and hardness! First you need to ask yourself: what kind of project are you making and where on the body will it be worn? If we use the image of rings as an example we can see that the 12g wire will provide us with more strength than the 18g. If you like to use a variety of cabochons in your work you’ll find having a variety of bezel wire on hand very helpful. Order a few heights of bezel wire so you have options, if it’s too tall you can always trim it down or sand it. Aesthetics is also another consideration I just enjoy thicker bezels! They are more forgiving and can take more sanding and polishing with less risk of damaging the bezel by over working it! Regarding bezel height, take the shape and height of your cabochon into consideration. If the stone is delicate you should set by hand (as opposed to hammer) and therefore can use a thinner gauge (28-30g). Next, consider the stone you plan to set and look up the stone’s hardness (MOH scale). If you’re hammer setting, either with a hammer handpiece or manually, you can use a thicker gauge bezel wire. If you are newer to bezel setting, consider 28-30g because it’s easier to push over, especially if you’re doing it all by hand using a bezel rocker tool and a burnisher. It typically comes in gauges 24 (.51mm) - 30 (.25mm) and in various heights. One of the most common questions is: what gauge bezel wire should I purchase? Here are some tips for ordering BEZEL WIRE from Rio Grande. Here is an example of when to order a harder sheet: Let’s say all I’m doing is sawing out a design and cold connecting it, a harder option gives strength to my piece, and that strength will be maintained since i’m not soldering. If you will be soldering on the piece you’re making, you may as well start with dead soft because it’s easy to work with and any hardness the metal may have will be lost when you apply heat to solder. Lastly which hardness should we buy? In most applications you will want to order dead soft. On average 20-14 gauge are well within that range, but that depends on the size and specifics of your design. Heavy earrings for example can be uncomfortable and a very delicate ring can get squished in our hands. Next you need to choose a gauge heavy enough to experience the wear and tear but light enough to be comfortably. You can still bend the metal a bit, with force), and spring hard (thoroughly hardened and has basically no malleability.) So with those options in mind, here are a few questions you can ask yourself: Is the project I’m making going to get a lot of wear and tear (like a ring or a bracelet?) If the answer is yes, sterling is your best choice (since fine silver is softer). You then have the options for dead soft (annealed), ¼ hard (a bit resistant to bending but readily takes shape), ½ hard (has been worked a bit, tightening the grain at the molecular level. Most of the sheet options come in a range of 6 gauge (4.11mm) to 30 gauge (0.26mm). The other main option is fine silver (.999) It’s significantly softer than sterling, has a whiter appearance and is way less prone to tarnishing. The most common is sterling silver (.925) It is stronger than fine silver, more prone to fire scale and tarnishes more easily. All the choices can be overwhelming, so I thought I’d break down what some of the options are and how they differ. Here are some tips for purchasing silver SHEET METAL from Rio Grande. So I partnered with Rio Grande to provide a guide with some helpful tips and considerations for confidently buying materials for your next project! SHEET METAL When it comes to ordering metal for jewelry making all the different options can often become overwhelming. Please note: This post contains affiliate links.
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