Home   >   Daily Wire Jewelry Tips   >   Jewelry Wire for Wrapped Rings

Jewelry Wire for Wrapped Rings

By on June 20, 2014
Print Friendly

by Judy Ellis, Wire-Sculpture.com

 

Wire Jewelry Tip June 19, 2014

Jewelry Wire for Wrapped Rings

We always get questions about the best kind gauge and type of wire to use for certain projects: This is a question that we’ve recently received from a reader: What is the best gauge of wire to use to make rings?

Answer:

The answer to your question is: any gauge you want, as long as it works!

For example: wire artists have made rings from 16- and 18-gauge round soft wire, by free-forming them on a mandrel and adding embellishments and/or texturizing them with an embossing hammer.

24-gauge is good for small, multiple wire rings; depending on the “style,” 22-gauge can be used in either dead soft or half hard for several designs and 21- or 20-gauge makes great prong or classic cabochon rings; and 20-gauge half round half hard is about perfect for wrapping ring shanks.

For a more detailed discussion of what temper (hardness) of wire to use making rings, please read this recent Tip, Wire Temper for Wrapped Rings.

Wire wrapped button ring

Albina Manning’s free Button Ring pattern uses 20-gauge dead soft for a soft sculpted ring that isn’t trying to hold a stone.

As you can see, the size of the wire used, as well as the choice of temper, really depends on what “style” of ring you are making.

My best advice here would be to check out the Ring DVDs, and work them in order from number 1 through the last. As you work through the variety of designs, you will become familiar with the different wire sizes and tempers and how they can be used in ring designs, and then go off on your own and make your personal wire ring ideas, the way you want to!

If you’d like to learn how to do more extensive wire work, take a look at our selection of Wire Jewelry Books and Instructional DVDS. We have many plenty choose from.

Happy Wrapping!

Do you love this information- why not sign up today for your FREE Jewelry Making Patterns. It’s a great place to start!

Click to Receive Daily Tips by Email

One Comment

  1. avatar

    Debbie

    February 11, 2015 at 10:54 am

    Hi, my problem is finishing ring. The wire you rap at each side of stone, can\’t seem to get it not to snag things. Please help me. Debbie