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Silver wire is a commonly used material in jewelry making. Silver wire is available in several grades of hardness, and is selected by jewelry designers on the basis of its suitability for use in specific jewelry-making techniques.
Silver
Silver is a metallic element, and is valued not only for its beauty, but for its use in numerous industrial, technological, and medical applications.
Wire Hardness
Silver wire comes in three levels of hardness: "Dead soft" which is extremely soft and flexible, "half-hard" which is moderately rigid, and "hard" which is the most stiff and rigid grade of wire.
How Wire is Made Hard or Soft
Wire is pulled through holes in a draw plate in order to both size it and to bring it to a state of desired firmness. The more the wire has been pulled through the holes, the harder it becomes.
Uses for Dead Soft Wire
Silver dead soft wire is most often used in jewelry and is favored by jewelry designers that use the wire-wrapping technique as the wire is extremely soft and easy to bend and twist. With twisting and bending, the wire becomes more rigid, and can withstand normal wear.
Wire Wrapped Jewelry
Wire-wrapping is a technique used for making jewelry. Instead of using heat to solder pieces together, wire is bent, coiled and wrapped to create jewelry and jewelry findings.
Source:
Intent Design Studio: Using Wire for Wire Wrapping, Looping, and Wire Jewelry
Online Wire Wrapping Instructions: Understanding Silver Wire
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