[Nfb-krafters-korner] Wire for jewelry-making

[Lindy van der Merwe]

Hi all,
I am a beginner at jewelry-making, and found this interesting.
I hope it is ok to copy the small paragraph here together with the link, 
since I know some of you have difficulties with getting to web pages easily.
http://jewelrymaking.about.com/od/wiretechniquesinfo/ss/050908_4.htm

Hardness of Wire
When ordering wire from jewelry supply companies, you’ll notice they 
normally offer dead soft, half hard, and full hard. As the names indicate, 
the wires have different degrees of hardness.
The dead soft wire is the easiest to manipulate and is often used for 
sculpted pieces and light-weight wire wrapped jewelry such as a bead and 
wire chain bracelet. Fewer tools are needed since these softer wires can be 
bent with your hands fairly easily. Soft wire works well for many wire 
projects such as bending into shapes or using with beads. However, it is not 
recommended for use with projects that hold large stones or projects that 
will have a lot of wear such as bangles.   For larger and heavier jewelry 
pieces, use half hard or full hard wire. Normally, you will need more tools 
in order to manipulate hard wire because your hands will not be strong 
enough. Half hard wire is often used for wire wrapped jewelry that is 
primarily made of wire, like a wire wrapped bangle bracelet.
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