Wire

Wire was a manufactured length of flexible metal, a "coiled good" alongside chain and rope. It was extremely useful and in wide demand across the Realms for everything from common tools to fancy jewelry to elaborate mechanisms.

Description
Wire was often quite brittle and soft from the drawing process, making it quite easy to snap under the right circumstances. Bending wire more than once in the same spot could snap it, and most wire produced was quite thick to ensure its durability.

Hard metals and alloys could respond poorly to being drawn into wire and become more fragile, while softer metals such as gold were the easiest to draw into fine wire. Adamant in particular was difficult to draw into wire because of its extreme brittleness, and had to be alloyed with molybdenum to make it usable.

Availability
Most blacksmiths could make relatively thick wire as needed, but thinner and more delicate wire was much rarer. Crafted by wiredrawers, the expertise and tools required to make good fine wire made it harder to come by in much of Faerûn compared to rope and chain, with the centers of such production found in the Calimshan and Tashalar regions. In many human communities, urban gnome and dwarf artisans pioneered fine wire and chain crafting, and gnomes in particular led the development of increasingly thin and flexible wire that could be used for everyday purposes.

Trade

 * Thanks to the consistent demand, "manygoods" traders tried to keep at least some wire in their inventory, as well as a chisel and two pairs of pliers for cutting off lengths on demand.
 * Aurora's Emporium provided common wire by the foot (30 centimeters) in a variety of metals, including brass, bronze, copper, gold, iron, lead, mithral, platinum, silver, steel, and tin. Higher-quality lengths of wire were also available for use in priestly rituals and wizardly studies, at a much higher price.
 * Gleskur's Finemetals of Secomber produced fine, braided copper wire.
 * The Splendid Order of Armorers, Locksmiths, and Finesmiths and the Jewelers' Guild of Waterdeep made, traded, and used wire for sculpting and ornamentation.
 * Mhaer's Alley in Waterdeep had a great concentration of shops that sold tailoring supplies, including fine wire.
 * Rallogar Hardware in Wheloon sold all sorts of tools and supplies, including great stocks of rope, cable, and wire.
 * Nelzol's Notions in Immersea sold various hardware supplies, including coils of fine wire.
 * The Chandlers Guild of Ravens Bluff oversaw maritime tools and equipment, including the development of new kinds of wired cable.
 * The city of Khôltar was devoted to metalworking, and the shop of Oraundro Nempeth's sold rope, cord, twine, wire, tying rings, and chain.

Usages

 * Wire was coiled on a lathe, then cut to make rings, such as for making chainmail armor. The process of coiling, cutting, knitting, and riveting them was extremely tedious and delicate. Copperbright armor resembled scale armor, and was held together with extensive wiring.
 * Cable was an unusual form of woven rope that had a twisted wire core to give it incredible strength.
 * As a strong, stiff, malleable line, wire was popular with merchants for tying down loose cargo.
 * Fashionable clothing, elaborate hairstyles and costumes, and accessories such as bustles and stomachers used wire to shape and support their forms,   and many forms of jewelry used wire in their construction. The finest, most flexible wire (such as gold) could be used similarly to thread in clothing. Wire was not, however, used in making shaped brassieres or corsets.
 * Wire was a common form of ornamentation for all sorts of objects.
 * Wire loops were used to store holed coins such as the authokh.
 * Stringed instruments could use metal wire for their strings.
 * Wired canes used a hard-to-see wire support to facilitate thefts.
 * Some garottes used a length of flexible, strong wire between two handles to throttle victims.
 * Traps could use wire for a strong, hard-to-see trigger mechanism. Specially sharpened wire could be used as a trap itself, especially when stretched at neck-height.
 * Clockwork devices used wire as part of their mechanisms.
 * Professional lockpicks used lengths of wire to manipulate locks, and any short piece of sturdy wire could be used as an improvised lockpick.
 * Basic hinging mechanisms could be made from a simple loop of wire, such as in sparkers.
 * Taxidermized animals were often held together with metal wire, and entire skeletons could be wired together to be kept intact.
 * Fine woven wire meshes could be used to stop small blades, and found some use in making thief-resistant coin pouches, as well as masks for practicing fencing. Larger wire meshes could be used to make fences for animals.
 * Combs and brushes often used fine metal wire for their teeth and bristles.
 * Small cages for animals and insects could be made from wire.
 * Spectacles were made of wire wrapped around the glass lens.
 * Priests of Gond were fond of gathering up small, useful bits of junk such as wire.
 * Loviatans celebrated the Rite of Pain and Purity by dancing on sharp objects, including barbed wire.

Notable Instances

 * The Iron Bow of Gesen had a golden wire bowstring.
 * The Machine of Lum the Mad contained a vast profusion of wires.
 * The Sash of Sune was stitched in thread-of-gold.
 * A trap-springer was made from a spiral of flattened wire.

Spell Components
A great number of spells used various forms of wire as material components, especially those involving communication and thought.
 * Alarm used a small bell and a piece of fine silver wire.
 * Alter beast used a pair of golden wires twisted into a double helix.
 * Demand used a piece of copper wire.
 * Descent into madness used a complicated gold wire cube representing a tesseract.
 * Detect spirits used a copper wire pendant.
 * Harp of war used a thin piece of silver wire.
 * Juggernaut could use a bit of wire.
 * Khelben's warding whip used a piece of wire and a pinch of powdered electrum.
 * Levitate could use a piece of golden wire bent into the shape of a cup.
 * Lightning rod used a piece of copper wire.
 * Message used a short piece of copper wire.
 * Obold's brightness used a tangle of wire.
 * Rebinding used a skein of silver wire.
 * Restore rune could use wire among its reagents.
 * Rising colossus used a bit of wire, thread or fiber.
 * Sacred link could use a strand of fine wire.
 * Sending used a piece of fine copper wire.
 * Suspension used a leather loop suspended from a bent golden wire.
 * Thunderhead used a small piece of copper wire.
 * Virus charm used a valuable web of thin, finely-spun copper wire.
 * Whirlwave used a piece of wire or glue-stiffened thread.

History
Thread-of-gold was an exceptionally fine wire made by ancient dwarves, though the process of crafting it was long lost to modern dwarves.

Wire was made by the ancient human peoples of Faerûn, including the Rengarth of Netheril thousands of years before, and by the people of Calimshan by -6048 DR.

The consistent production of fine wire in Faerûn was still a developing art by the mid–14 century DR, as artisans continued to gradually refine the process over time. It was expected to still be an area of experimentation and notable improvements through to the mid–16 century DR.

Cable—rope woven around wire—was first developed around the mid-14 century DR.