Silver is one of the most popular metals for wire artists and wire jewelry makers to work with. There are many reasons for this, the key ones being that it provides the jeweler with a combination of an affordable material that is malleable and has pleasing visual qualities. Silver is an excellent background to beads and gemstones, helping to show off the rich color of the materials used. Many beautiful items of jewelry are made using little more than silver wire and beads,

Fine and Sterling Silver Wire

Silver is generally available in two grades – Sterling and Fine silver. Fine silver is 99.5% silver (literally pure silver) and as such is very soft and malleable. This is great for wire workers who need to bend and work the wire without fear of it cracking through becoming ‘work hardened’. One other benefit of fine silver is that, because of the high proportion of pure silver, it doesn’t tarnish – again making it ideal for intricate wire-work items that can be difficult to polish.