Sterling silver oxidizing tip

Posted by Christine

Jewelry makers often use liver of sulphur to oxidize their silver jewelry. This tarnishes the silver which can then be polished. The tarnish stays in the recesses and the polished raised parts become more distinctive. Here’s an example of what I mean:

See how the silver is shiny in the outer parts of the wirewrapping? The [...]

Wire gauges 101

Posted by Christine

When I first started using wire in my jewelry I found the whole gauge thing so confusing. I searched books, the internet, and magazines for info to try to piece together what to use for what purpose.
Here’s my wire cheat sheet:
What do the terms mean?
Gauge: The gauge is the thickness of the wire.
14 gauge: 1.65 [...]