I've been blogging for nearly two decades now and have never covered French or bullion wire.  I did use it early on for protecting beading wire or thread at the clasp ends but once I discovered wire guardians, I never returned to it.  But I have belatedly realised there is much, much more to this very old type of finding.

French or bullion wire is a very, very fine coil of thin wire which has been traditionally used, together with gold braids and lace, to heavily decorate military uniforms, court and ecclesiastical dress and so forth.

The above portrait is of the 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), who led the coalition army to defeat Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. It shows him wearing his heavily embellished Field Marshal red tunic.

Hand and Lock is the famous embroidery and bespoke embroidery company in London which was founded in 1767 by a French Huguenot (Protestant) immigrant. He got his start selling military lace to tailors. Today, the designers and artisans from Hand and Lock do all kinds of custom work for the Royal Family, ceremonial wear, haute couture and costume designers in the entertainment industry. 

Their gold work portfolio includes this incredible detail from a military jacket (picture source)done with bullion wire - thousands of little lengths of bullion wire couched down :


Below is the ceremonial uniform of the Peruvian Presidential Guard. Note the gold bullion fringed epaulette (shoulder decoration).  Costumers and reactors can buy similar style epaulettes such as these.

Picture source : Diego Delso

All the ceremonial and military outfits are a traditional nod to past centuries. The lance and the helmet such as that above hark back to the dragoon (calvary) headgear first introduced in France in the mid-18th century. 

The Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) is actually an armoured (tank) regiment today but they still have their ceremonial mounted division. A few months ago, they were invited by King Charles to officially be the King's Life Guard outside Buckingham Palace for 10 days. A very rare honour for a foreign military unit. Watch the changing of the guard :


Some people sometimes use the combination term "French bullion wire". But there is actually a difference between French and bullion wire according to embroidery material.com. French wire is very fine round wire coils resulting in a smooth, velvety feel. Whereas bullion wire is coiled in a square shape giving it a much more shiny effect due to the flat sides. Gimp is also coiled wire but coarser and stiffer.

I suspect it is called French wire likely because everything about the 18th century French military uniforms were so admired that other countries copied the style. The first manufacturers were probably based in France. These days, other countries like India make them. 

 This gold 1 mm thick French bullion wire listing is from this Etsy India based  store, EmbroideryMaterial. Looking at it closely, it is actually bullion wire due to the square coiling.  The listing uses "nakshi", which is the Indian word for bullion wire. "Dabka" is their word for French wire.



Today these kinds of fine coiled wires are usually made from copper. Electroplating means we can get French|bullion wire in a variety of colors such as these 1 mm offerings of  French wire from US vendor, shopdreamyhaven.  



HOW TO USE FRENCH OR BULLION WIRE IN JEWELRY MAKING

Protecting beading wire or thread
Tutorial by @curiousgemjewellerymak9546
The advantage of using French or bullion wire instead of wire guardians is the option of making the protective "sleeve" in any length or colour you want. Here is a quick tutorial which shows how to use it at clasp ends. Yes, it can be fiddly to use. : 


In bead embroidery designs
Tutorial by @indigenousspiritjewelry
The wire is ever so slightly pulled apart to accommodate the beading thread in the couching process. 


As wire bezels in resin work.
Tutorial by @theepoxyresinstore


HOW GOLD WORK EMBROIDERY IS DONE
Gold work embroidery is an ancient technique using real gold.  Watch my favorite historical costume vlogger, Bernadette Banner, as she waxes lyrically about this beautiful embellishment technique. She is now based in London and she previously worked with the designers at Hand and Lock for a custom gold work embroidered Regency style waistcoat design.

 It's not hard to understand why she is so excited about learning how to do this as shown in this video. 

There are three kits, including one for a brooch available from Hand and Lock.  I am not affiliated with either Bernadette Banner or Hand and Lock in any way. Just a huge fan of their work.


Before You Go:


jewelry making supplies

Disclosure 

This blog may contain affiliate links. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation. 
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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM