Beginning Enameling with Steven James
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Copper wire is great to work with, and so is our half round copper wire! This gleaming metal is useful as a practice wire, but it’s beautiful enough to be a featured standalone metal. We stock a variety of gauges, from 12-gauge to 21-gauge, so that we always have the half round copper wire you need.

On its own, polished Copper Jewelry Wire has a warm, burnished gold luster. Add it to silver or gold pieces or let it shine all by itself. Copper wire is perfect for beaded jewelry. Never tried copper jewelry wire before? Give it a try!

It can be tricky to keep base metals, such as copper, clean and shiny. Many of our artists and customers have their own tips and tricks that they use to clean tarnish off of copper and to bring out its shine. One tip (see original post here) suggested using a common household cleaner to keep tarnish at bay. Another suggestion (see original post here) was, why clean it? Why not work it into your jewelry? We’ve also discussed ways to prevent tarnish altogether (see original post here). If these hints don’t work for you, you can always keep your wire shining brightly with our polishing cloths.

Copper is a base metal that’s fairly malleable—it measures a 2.5 on Mohs scale so it is a great metal to practice new patterns and designs on! Copper has been used for millennia in statues, pottery, jewelry, coins, and ornaments—a copper pendant was found in northern Iraq that dates to 8700 BC! Due to its antibacterial nature, it’s commonly used in hospitals and plumbing. Copper can be combined with other elements, like tin and zinc, to produce strong alloys such as bronze and brass, which are also available here as wire.