Inventive uses for sterling silver wire

Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by mass of silver and 7.5% by mass of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925. Sterling silver wire is exactly what it says it is: wire made of silver. Silver wire can be very versatile and though it is most often used in jewelley, there are other uses for it.

Jewellery

Silver wire jewellery has become immensely popular recently and there are several designs which can be found online for making jewellery as a hobby. It is any jewellery which is made using silver wire. It can be thin, thick or shaped. There are several things that can be done with it to form interesting jewellery pieces. Soldering, wrapping, connecting, making chains, weaving or using silver findings with it are all different ways in which silver wire jewellery can be made.

Tools

There are two tools that are almost always required when working with sterling silver
wire: wire cutters and round-nosed pliers. Wire cutters Wire cutters are needed to make sharp, smooth cuts in the wire and trim it to any length you desire.
Round-nosed pliers Round-nosed pliers are required to bend, twist or otherwise manipulate the wire into different form. Other tools you may need are: a rawhide mallet, for hammering wire into new shapes, such as bracelets, a bracelet mandrel, a cylindrical form used for shaping bracelets and files, for smoothing the edges and surfaces of wire.

Other uses

There are numerous other ways in which sterling silver can be used with most of them coming in other forms of jewellery and other handcrafted gifts. You can string beads on it to make beading chains, necklaces and earrings. You can cut and bend it into small jump rings to link different jewellery components together. You can fashion it into ear wires, or bend and twist it into elaborate pendants and charms. You can use it to create wire wraps, which are a type of gemstone setting in which wire is wrapped around a stone to hold it in place. Pattern wire may be hammered into bracelets. The possibilities for sterling silver wire are only as limited as your imagination.