wire jewelry making question

[yurtgirl.livejournal.com]

i'm surfing around for info and i need opinions........

does anyone use and/or recommend silver plated copper wire for making wire jewelry? it's much cheaper than sterling silver. since im a beginner, i thinking going cheap is a good way to start. whaddyathink? is the plated wire durable? will the plating crack and how quickly will it wear off?
sorry for all the dumb questions. i've been looking for info and was hoping tips from this community would be helpful.

tia....