Copper Craft Wire

What Is Craft Wire?

Craft wire (also known as crafting wire or jewellery wire) is a flexible metal alloy wire used to create jewellery designs, and comes in many colours, shapes and thicknesses. Some common uses for it are making earrings, bracelets, necklaces, keychains, and pendants.

What Is Craft Wire Made Out Of?

We sell the two most common kinds - aluminium and copper. Copper Craft wire is very soft, which makes it simple to work with, but it won't keep its form and can't be work-hardened easily without compromising part of the outer coating. Copper craft wire shouldn't be hammered, sanded, or filed for the same reason; once bent, it shouldn't be unbent either. Therefore, it has limited applications for wire working and may be rather difficult for a novice since it is completely unforgiving of errors.

Copper is usually sold in coils. These coils come in various lengths and thicknesses, commonly referred to as wire gauges.

Aluminium wire is strong, light, and flexible, making it simple to form. It is available in a variety of hues with an enamel coating or in its original silver tone. It has significant restrictions due to the fact that aluminium jewellery wire is often extremely soft. 

What Types of Craft Wire Are There?

There are two primary types to choose from:

Non Tarnish Craft Wire is made up of 99.9% copper and has a baked-on nylon coating which protects the colour and gives the finished product a non-tarnish quality. It can be hammered, moulded or looped without any damage to the plating and can be incorporated with anything from Semi Precious beads to Shamballa Beads.

The second option, Plated (such as our silver plated craft wire), is particularly ideal for the novice jewellery maker as it’s easy to use and incredibly affordable, so if you make any mistakes along the way, there’s no need to worry.

Don't forget coloured wire! This can really bring your pieces to life and, if teamed with subtle jewels or beads, it could even be the main focal point. Whether you want to create your own rings or chokers, craft wire is the perfect basis for all your jewellery-making needs.

What Gauge Wire Do I Need?

Surprisingly, gauge gets smaller as the thickness of wire gets bigger. We recommend either 0.8mm or 1mm as a good general purpose wire, as this will fit 99% of beads. 

Here is a table showing the various thicknesses of wire we sell in gauge measurements:

0.2mm = 32 gauge

0.4mm = 26 gauge

0.5mm = 24 gauge

0.6mm = 22 gauge

0.8mm = 20 gauge

1.0mm = 18 gauge

2.0mm = 12 gauge