Sterling Silver
Sterling silver wire is used for many of the rosaries and rosary bracelets. The type of sterling used will not tarnish over time and is flexible enough to be shaped into the rosaries and bracelets. One of the properties of sterling silver is that it does not rust or lose its color over time as it is all one material unlike craft wire. Due to these qualities, it carries a much higher price point than the other types of wire, but makes for a beautiful and lasting rosary.
For those who want more specific details, I use full soft to half-hard sterling silver wire. Depending on the rosary design, it may be full round or half round, and is typically 18-20 gauge wire (see the gauges image at the end of the page for a comparison of wire thickness).
The wire used for rosary bracelets is thicker so it is strong enough to be worn on the wrist regulary. The gauge of wire is thicker the smaller the number is, so I use 18 gauge full round sterling silver wire on all rosary bracelets (unless they are listed as being made from craft wire).
Craft Wire
Craft wire looks silver on the outside, but has a copperish-looking core. It is much less expensive than sterling silver wire, and makes for a more affordable rosary overall. However, over years of use this wire will discolor to a copperish sheen. This is due to the exterior silver coating wearing through. Gauges for craft wire and stainless steel match those listed above in the sterling silver section.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel wire has a very dull silver look. It is extremely strong and does not have a copper core. While the wire itself is inexpensive, there is an additional labor cost because the wire is so difficult to bend and requires much stronger tools to shape. For this reason, stainless steel wire is only available on custom orders.
Soldering
Soldering is a technique of adding to the strength of wire. Most typically, soldering is done to fuse a connection between a wire and specific contact point (this happens regularly in electronics).
For the purpose of our rosaries, soldering is a way of strengthening the wire and closing the openings in the wire links at connection points in the design.
In the picture on the left, note that the link below, even though the wire is curved up against itself, still has a small opening on top and bottom. However, the top link (which is in a rosary) has solder closing those holes to create a stronger connection and reduce the likelihood that the metal rosary will come apart.
Gauge Sizes
I do not use 16 gauge wire for any designs because it is too thick to thread through the beads. On the opposite end, 22 gauge is too flimsy for any of the rosary or bracelet designs.
Earring Wire
All earrings are made with either sterling silver or 14kt gold dangles and are safe for sensitive ears. In some cases, the drops used to hold the beads (on the right) may be stainless steel or craft wire, depending on the design. This area does not touch the ear itself, so the drop wire can be made of a stronger mixed material without affecting sensitive ears.