Wire, the oft overlooked strands of metal that make modern life possible by conducting electricity, conducting telephone signals, suspending heavy loads, and binding things together, was often originally manufactured with the sole purpose of being used in making jewelry. Though most of the wire in existence is dedicated to making modern life possible, there remains a thriving industry which specializes in turning wire into jewelry and artwork. Any trip to the jewelry section of the local department store or mega mart will reveal racks of cheaply made jewelry which was formed on assembly lines. While such jewelry is usually extremely cheap due to the low amounts of material needed to create wire jewelry it is also usually of a very low quality. It is because of this that when the mention of fine jewelry is made many people never think of wire jewelry as being much more than the typical cheap mega mart fodder.
The truth is that in antiquity wire was often a medium in which exquisite works of artistic jewelry were wrought. This practice has been revived in the modern era by Russell Solomon and other artists who have revived the practice of making original works of art and jewelry out of wire. Artists like Russell Solomon are able to take a simple strand of precious metal and transform it into truly spectacular jewelry. The process of twisting and bonding wire into fine jewelry sounds simple, and there are cottage industries where artisans make wire jewelry to be sold at flea markets and similar venues. In the hands of a true master, wire can be twisted and woven into fantastic shapes that seem to almost take on a life of their own and should be a welcome addition to any jewelry collection. If you have a passion for truly artistic and unique jewelry don’t overlook wire as a material.