| half-hard |
High quality wire can be made in a variety of hardnesses
from dead soft to full hardened. In the middle of this range is a
wire hardness called half hard. This wire is stiffer than dead soft
wire and not as stiff and springy has fully hardened wire. In
general only gold, gold-filled, sterling silver and fine silver wire can
be purchased with a hardness of 1/2 hard. |
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| hammer |
See chasing hammer or
nylon hammer. |
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| hank |
A hank is defined as 12 strands of beads with each strand
being about 20 inches long. Frequently seed beads are sold by the
hank. |
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| hard |
High quality wire can be made in a variety of hardnesses.
Hard wire is the stiffest, least easy to bend and most springy of all the
wire harnesses. This type of wire is not used a great deal because
it is difficult to bend. |
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| harden |
Hardening is the process of making a jewelry component
more stiff and permanent. This can be accomplished in a variety of
ways including hammering and work hardening. |
|
| hardness |
Hardness in wire is the property of how easy or how hard
to bend the wire is. Soft wire is very easy to bend. Hard wire
is stiff and springy. |
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| head pin |
A head pin is a finding with a flat head on one end and
straight wire on the other end. Head pins are used to make bead
dangles, used to attach beads to loops in jewelry.
View our selection of head pins here. |
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| hemostat |
A hemostat is a medical tool that has an application in
making jewelry. It is a type of clamp that is easy to close with one
hand and remains closed. Hemostats are frequently used to hold the
end of thread or bead stringing wire while you are adding beads to a
necklace or bracelet.
View our selection of hemostats here. |
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