Heat-resistant wire for orbs?

My friend made us some of those fire orb things (I call them "poi orbs,") and used some pretty small gauge stainless steel wire. They work great, but unfortunately, even with very ginger handling, the wire fatigued at either side of the wick and broke after only about 8 burns. Fortunately I hadn't chosen to eat the thing that day... o.O

Anyway, since the wire was bent very little, I believe it was mostly heat that did the damage. So I'm looking for some wire that's more heat-resistant to use. I don't want to use anything of a larger gauge if possible, because it'll be seen too easily (unless maybe I spray-paint it with black stove paint?), so does anyone here know what might be better? Copper? Brass? I'm at a loss...

Thanks,

Kristen

Nichrome wire - it comes in various grades and has a melting point of around 2400 degrees, as opposed to around 1400 for stainless steel. It's more expensive though...

The basic grade is 60% Ni, 15% Cr, balance Fe if I remember rightly...

Hope that helps.