title: The Complete Guide to Making Wire Jewelry: Techniques, Projects, and Jig Patterns From Beginner to Advanced
author:  Wing Mun Devenney 
description: "Profusely illustrated and thoroughly 'user friendly' in content and presentation, <i>The Complete Guide to Making Wire Jewelry: Techniques, Projects, and Jig Patterns From Beginner to Advanced</i> is very highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library Jewelry Crafts instructional reference collections."-The Midwest Book Review<br /><br />"From beginners and intermediate learners to the makers of fine jewelry, readers likely will refer to this book often. Devenney delivers the goods with due diligence. Hundreds of color photos, plentiful pointers and cautionary notes supply added value"<br /><i>Arts &amp; Activities</i>
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  ## [Wire Primer](Contents.html#ch1)
  
  
  
  
  
  One of the best things about working with wire is that it’s such a forgiving
  medium. If you make a mistake, you can often restraighten the wire and begin
  again. Additionally, you can buy practice wire very inexpensively and create
  with impunity! Copper, brass, and colored craft wire are available in hardware
  and craft stores, and all of them can produce finished pieces every bit as
  beautiful as sterling silver and gold.
  
  
  Wire comes in a large variety of metals, shapes, and sizes. The size or
  diameter of wire is known as the gauge. In the United States, the standard is
  Brown & Sharpe, also known as American Wire Gauge (AWG). The diameter of wire
  in inches or millimeters is translated into a numeral from 0 to 34, the higher
  the number, the thinner the wire. Most of the projects in this book use wire
  in 14 gauge through 24 gauge.
  
  
  Wire also comes in a variety of shapes. You can buy round, half-round, and
  square wire. Ro