The wire I use for sculpting is Dead Soft Gold Filled Wire in various gauges. This wire has been heated in a kiln at a certain temperature to obtain its softness.
It is usually used for sculpting to create elaborate swirls, curls and twists and can generally be worked almost entirely by hand.
I use very few tools in the construction of a piece of my jewelry. Dead soft wire will harden somewhat as you rub your hand or cloth over it. The more you do so, the harder it becomes. I use a pair of wire cutters, round nosed pliers and flat nosed pliers for the most part. The pliers are used for folding over the ends of the wire for finishing off the piece and for secuRing the wire as your wrapping but the sculpting itself is all done by hand. The harder wires are used for bracelets, Rings, etc.
No soldeRing is used to hold these pieces together, it is all done in the sculpting itself.
14KT Gold Filled wire is also known as Rolled Gold. This 14/20 or 1/20 Rolled Gold wire is created by taking a sheet of 14
KT Gold and bonding it through extreme heat and pressure to a core of semi-precious metal (brass). This is a very sophisticated process and only a few mills in the world do it. This process should not be mistaken for Gold Plating. There is a very big difference. The end result is a 14kt. tube which is strong and very durable. It will not corrode, turn or wear off. There is 100 times more gold in 14
KT. Gold Filled wire than in Gold Plate. There is also a US law requiRing that any gold filled wire must be 1/20 pure gold by weight. My wire meets that standard.
