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Cufflinks using dichroic glass

Jewelry Discussion
#1

Hello, I am looking to make a set of cufflinks with tuxedo studs for
a gift. I’m thinking of using dichroic glass for the faces. I have
several questions:

  1. do I set the glass in a bezel of some sort or glue it directly
    onto the stud/cufflink?

  2. if I use a bezel, how would I solder the bezel to the appropriate
    attachment?

  3. if I glue the glass to the attachment, what adhesive would I use?

  4. what diameter do I have the glass pieces made, i.e… 1/2"-3/4"
    across? Sorry to have so many questions, I just would like to avoid
    making unnecessary purchases or ruining custom made glass buttons if
    I could get around it by at least knowing a direction in which to
    head. Thanks for any guidance.

– Leslie Harris @Leslie_Harris

#2

Dear Leslie: Dichroic glass is my business. I use E6000 for
gluing, let it set for 24 hours without disturbing. You’ll have to
cut it off w/ a razor blade to remove it. Works great. Make sure
the glue’s fresh. Audie Beller of Audie’s Images…

#3 
 I am looking to make a set of cufflinks with tuxedo studs for a
gift.

Hi Leslie, Since they’re for a tux, I think you’d want them to be
well made, and a bezel setting would seem appropriate. If you were to
glue the glass cabs directly to the findings, I’d use a good, clear
two-part epoxy.

If the bezeling presents a challenge, you can use premade commercial
bezel cups and solder them to the findings. That would require the
glass to be cut to calibrated sizes. In a set I did a couple years
ago for my father-in-law, I used 8mm black onyx stones for the studs,
and (I believe) 18x13 ovals for the cufflinks… but that sounds a
little large to me now. As long as you can match up the glass pieces
to an appropriate bezel cup, you’re in business!

Hope this is of some help,

Dave
Dave Sebaste
Sebaste Studio and
Carolina Artisans’ Gallery
Charlotte, NC (USA)
dave@sebaste.com

#4

Leslie:

Here’s a design consideration for those studs, from someone who has
worn several different sets. When studs are worn on the shirt, they
tend to move. In particular, they tend to rotate on the post. This is
so even though the back has a sliding bar fixture which appears to be
weighty enough to orient the stud in a particular direction. Round
studs always look nice despite the rotation because you can’t see it.
On the other hand, square and rectangular studs show the rotation the
most. To correct for this, you might place the stud back off-center,
which is to say toward one end so that the stud will tend to hand
straight.

Michael Conlin

#5

As far as the shirt studs go, I fabricated them quite easily,
completely from scratch. I used a disk cutter to punch 10mm sterling
disks. Could be easily cut with a jeweler’s saw… just more time
consuming. I made the “shank” from 6 ga. round sterling wire. I
squared up the end with a file and soldered to the center of the
disk. Then I soldered a bezel cup (either hand made or machine made)
onto the other end of the 6 ga. wire. Polish and set the stones.

The stud is inserted through the button holes, gemstone first. The
larger back disk prevents it from passing through the hole. No
rotation to speak of… and as Michael pointed out, irrelevant with a
round gemstone.

I’ve thought of doing some in gold and lapis. I would switch to
tubing for the shank rather than using solid wire (rod) stock.

All the best,
Dave
Dave Sebaste
Sebaste Studio and
Carolina Artisans’ Gallery
Charlotte, NC (USA)
dave@sebaste.com