Home / Jewelry Making Tips and Techniques / Organizing Jewelry Wire

Organizing Jewelry Wire

by Dale Armstrong
Question:

After ten years in our current home, we are moving to a larger home where I am so fortunate to have my very own jewelry studio. I won't have to share that space with anyone, so I want to take this opportunity to set things up perfectly.

So my question is, what's the best way to store wire? Currently I use drawers, which works well for spools, but not so well for bags of larger gauge wires. I want them stored safely (unscratched), and organized, so I can find what I need quickly and easily accessible. Any suggestions? Thanks!

-Jackie in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Instructions
Answer:

Hi Jackie, first - congratulations on your new home, especially your new studio space!

It sounds like you already have most of your wire issue taken care of. Keeping spools in a drawer, maybe organized by metal type and shape, is good. Here's where I go from there.
Organizing and Labeling


For any temper other than soft, I prefer using coiled wire instead of wire on a spool. Coiled wire is stored in a wide loop, often held together with twist-ties and kept in a plastic bag.

It's easier to manage because you avoid the "spring" effect that happens with spooled wire uncoiling like a giant slinky.

To store coiled wire, many of us including most of the WS Faculty place the original wire bag or envelope inside a gallon-size freezer zip-loc bag.

The freezer style is ideal because it includes a writable label area and is made from more durable plastic. You can jot down important info like gauge, temper, and shape right on the bag.

If your bag doesn't have a label space, just stick on your own and use simple abbreviations like:
18g R S = 18 gauge round soft wire

Use short codes for metal types too:
Ag or SS for sterling silver
Au or GF for gold-filled
C or Cu for copper
Arg for Argentium®

These bags can be stored in a box, file cabinet, expandable folder, or drawer.

Organize your wire in a way that works best for you.

One suggestion is to sort by color and shape. Personally, I organize by metal type first, then by shape and temper.

Each metal goes in its own portable box, separated with homemade tabbed poster board dividers.

The wires I use most often square and half-round are placed in front. Within each section, I organize from smallest to largest gauge.

Here are my label sections in order:
Square Half-Hard
Half-Round
Square Soft
Round (all tempers)
Special (larger gauges like 14 and 12, mixed shapes)
Pattern

I also separate certain categories with completely different ones to avoid grabbing the wrong temper by mistake like soft square when I meant half-hard square.

Once you have a system down, wire organization will definitely be your friend!

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

Materials

Wire
Shop Now
Add All Items to Cart

Tools

Wire Wrapping/Beading Work Station
G16-43
  • G16-43
  • Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
  • Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
  • Price: $87.97
  • Gold Club Price: $65.98
Add to Bag
Add All Items to Cart
  • Category: Storage
  • Technique(s): Storage

Reviews

Login to post a Review
Login to be the first to review this Tip!