The Wire Which Wouldn’t Wrap
by Lisa Ford.
(Family Farm Country, USA)
I have been making “Pieces of Light” for the last few years, using 20g and 24g copper wire, shaping free hand my own designs. I only use cutters (confiscated my Dad’s good fencing cutters), various nail files/polishers for the ends, and pliers to hide them.
My books, postcards, bookmarks are Made in the USA. I want to help keep jobs here and ensure workers are paid a fair wage to work in safe conditions and with safe metals… Hence using The Beadsmith Wire. I have made over two hundred pieces, I think, using the taller spools of Copper, Silver-plated, Gold Plated….then it became Gold Colored Copper wire with no issues……..till a year ago.
My order was a bad batch. I didn’t realize that it was bad till a silver leaf I was making, splotched gold. Yes, for a maple leaf this looks cool….but not for stars and moons, and certainly not with questionable quality. The remaining wire from that order had small scratches/spots. Another order brought a worse batch.
I contacted The Beadsmith directly. They sent Pro Craft Wire. I was told that what I had been using was their best wire, now this was their best…which coincidentally costs twice as much. I had used their Vintage Bronze Brass and it is great.
Silver and Rose Gold are okay, bend easily and are lighter in weight than old wire. Haven’t tried Antique Copper yet.
However, I’m not impressed with the others:
-Smokey Quartz is unusable. (You just think about bending one curve and it peels down to the copper.)
-Gold flakes/peels mildly with bending. It’s bad enough that I won’t sell it.
I could sure use some advise…. please. Art show season is soon, I have an online shop, and a local store.
Has anyone else had this flaking/peeling/quality issue?
Am I just doing something wrong that for some reason worked before?
Should I attempt once more to order my old style of wire?
I prefer Made in the USA, if possible. Someone gifted colored wire to me…I think Darice or Zebra… it reeks of skunk, not good for the old asthma so I can’t use it.
I would appreciate any help.
Lisa Ford
Pieces of Light
Pics By Lis: the Down on the Farm Studio
