Project 204-2
Beading Lesson
Choosing the Right Wire - Craft Wire vs. Beading Wire

By Katie Hacker

Sponsor:
Beadalon®

For tools and supplies
visit Beadalon.com


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With so many different wires on the market, it can be difficult to know which one to choose. This beading lesson explains the difference between craft wire and beading wire and when to use them.

The most important thing to know is that regular wire is used for wire-wrapping or creating freeform wire shapes and flexible beading wire is used for actually stringing beads. Both types of wire are commonly sold on the spool, but even though they may seem similar, they're used for different purposes.

Regular wire is available in permanently colored copper wire for fashion jewelry and crafts or in sterling and gold-filled versions for fine jewelry. You can even use thin gauges of wire for knitting and crochet.

This type of wire size is typically referred to as "gauge." Gauges are sized in the reverse, so higher gauges are actually smaller than lower gauges - 24-gauge is thinner than 16-gauge.

Flexible beading wire is made of several strands of miniature stainless steel inside a nylon coating. It combines the softness of thread with the strength of stainless steel. It's the most abrasion resistant stringing material that you can use.

This type of wire size is typically referred to in its actual dimensions, based on inches or millimeters. You can see that .013" is thinner than .024."

The main thing to know about beading wire is that the higher the number of strands, the more flexible the wire. For example, 49-strand is more flexible than 7-strand. Choose the flexibility level and the diameter of the wire based on the design you'll be making. A bracelet, for example, will need to be more flexible because of the amount of wear and tear it will have to withstand. A simple beaded necklace may not need to be as flexible. Choose 49-strand beading wire for designs that require extreme flexibility, 19-strand for designs that require good flexibility and 7-strand for designs that require some flexibility.

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