Barette, Hairpiece findings

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hello all:

I am considering the production of multiple silver, and perhaps down
the line, gold hairpieces. My problem is that I will spend countless
hours on a silver barette, then affix a $1 or $2 nickel-silver
finding to the back of it with epoxy, and it just doesn’t do the
piece justice. I think it looks cheap and unprofessional. So I was
considering handmaking all the findings, and soldering or riveting
them to the top part, but I’m not sure that that makes sense in the
long term, say, perhaps, if I end up making a collection of these
things, and have to produce 50 or even 100 of them. The top part is
a casting, so I was thinking of making my own barette findings and
then casting them, but I was worried that they wouldn’t be the right
temper or have the necessary spring tension when cast.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Do you know of any suppliers of
barette findings who offer better quality than the cheap ones I
bought at Metalliferous marked “made in France”?

Thank you,
Jessica

2 
I am considering the production of multiple silver, and perhaps
down the line, gold hairpieces. My problem is that I will spend
countless hours on a silver barette, then affix a $1 or $2
nickel-silver finding to the back of it with epoxy

Can the finding be taken apart, the spring part put aside, and the
other soldered to the barrette?

You can also use a type of pin finding that is easy to make. Solder a
short piece of tubing on the one end to the barrette that is just
wide enough to put a piece of springy wire through. On the other end,
put a catch made of the same material as the barrette that is a sort
of cigar shape with the two ends curled towards each other. After all
the finish work is done on the piece, put the wire through the tube
and so that there is the same length on both sides and bend where it
comes from the tube. It is sort of a square U with long legs. You can
put zig zags into the wire to increase pressure against the hair. It
is in many of the books about jewelry.

marilyn smith