I had not heard the term “Cuban link chain,” so I looked in up on
Google and found one. It is a simple twisted curb chain with heavy
links that have been filed to a contour. Simple. In fact, this
bracelet is the subject of Chapter 4 in my book Professional
Goldsmithing. The final product is on page 66, much like the one on
google.com.
The most straight forward way to make this bracelet is to fabricate
it, making oval links from round wire. After the links are closed
and soldered the chain is twisted to line up the links. Once the
twisted chain lies flat, file the top and bottom to either a flat or
curved contour.
I suppose one could make a mold of a link and then join castings.
But that seems like an indirect way, when just making it works fine.
And the problem working with cast links is in bending them to join
the links and then clean up, all of which is far more complicated
working with castings. Soldering castings is how some would do it,
if they are not experienced in fabrication, but I do not think the
results will not compare to one that is fabricated.
Alan
Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, Inc.
760 Market Street
Suite 900
San Francisco, California 94102
USA
tel: 415-391-4179
fax: 415-391-7570