How do I get my jewelry wire to be the right stiffness? I would like to create wire and wire-wrapped jewelry. I know what gauge wire is appropriate for the size of the piece, but I keep buying wire that is too pliable and won't hold its shape like I would want for thin rings, ear wires, etc.

What factors can tell me if a type of wire will be the right stiffness (aside from actually testing it in a store)? Is there anything I can do to make my wire more or less pliable?
There are three grades of hardness in jewellery wire:


Full-hard, which is tempered wire that is very stiff. It's rarely used, because it's just too stiff for most jewellery.
Half-hard, which is hardened during manufacture but is not fully tempered and is not so hard. It's pliable by hand, but you need to use some force to do it and pliers are often easier. This is the stuff you want for most jewellery (excluding things that need to bend such as necklaces (though you should be looking at chain for those anyway)).
Dead-soft, which is just plain wire that hasn't been at all hardened. This needs minimal force from your hands to bend. I suspect you've been buying this kind of stuff.


The hardness also depends to an extent on the material - the cheaper stuff like copper and brass is generally manufactured at softer grades.

Bear in mind that you can also harden existing soft wire by either applying heat to it (i.e. a blow-torch or other high-intensity heat - a match won't do it) and then quenching it (drop it straight into cold water), or applying pressure to it (hammer it - just remember that this also reduces the diameter).

You can ask when you're buying the wire what grade it is, or look on whatever packaging it comes in to see if it's marked.