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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