Kameron used a Coiling Gizmo to make beads out of 22-gauge Artistic Wire for this bracelet

Whether you already love making jewelry with colored wire or you’d like to start, these new sampler packs from Artistic Wire are the perfect way to add color – maybe even LOTS of color – to your designs.

Buy the Dozen sampler packs of Artistic Wire

Each Buy the Dozen package contains – you guessed it – a dozen 5-yard spools of the same gauge wire, each in a different color. These packs are a great value. Even at the affordable price of $5.40 per spool (for 24-gauge silver plated), buying 12 colors would cost almost $65, vs. just $19 for the sampler.

The silver-plated Artistic Wire is slightly more expensive than standard Artistic Wire, but that little bit of silver really does make the colors significantly lighter and brighter. They also happen to coordinate quite nicely with the Pantone Color Fashion forecast for spring 2011.

Kameron's Pink Sprocket earrings are based on a design featured in Totally Twisted.

Since all Artistic Wire is pure copper underneath, it is super easy to work with.  Which gauge to use is partly a matter of personal preference, but in general 20 gauge is good for making links and ear wires, while finer gauges (22, 24 and 26) are nice for making decorative coils. 28 gauge is sometimes used for wire crochet.

We also have dozens of jewelry-making books, but a current staff favorite for working with colored wire is Totally Twisted by Kerry Bogert.

Let us know what you think of our new wire variety packs. Are there other products you’d like to see packaged in assortments like these?