ID this thing please?

Jewelry Discussion
1

A woman on another jewelry forum placed an order with Rio Grande for
a ring mandrel recently. It was back ordered, and when the item
finally arrived over the weekend, instead of a ring mandrel she got
this:

635×703 32.4 KB

Nothing like it can be found either in Rio’s catalogs or on their
website. She called Rio today, and the customer service rep was
unable to ID the thing by description. She’s sending it back, but
now there are about two dozen other people who want to know what it
is. Guesses range from a sign holder to something for bending sheet
metal to a jeweler’s Scrabble tile holder. Can someone please
identify what that thing is so all of these people can sleep again?

Kathy Johnson
Feathered Gems Jewelry
www.fgemz.com

2

Ahhh, now this looks to me like the new, highly top secret version of
a paper airplane developed by the Air Force designed to fly at light
speed without the need for a pilot. I know about this because I have
a direct connection to the top secret files in the Air Force due to
my own experimentation with faster than light jewelry.

Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambrige, MA 02140

3 
http://www.ganoksin.com/ftp/IDit.jpg

I think it is the base for the “perforated necklace/earing display”
that is on page 87 of the 2007-2008 Rio Display & Packaging
catalog. Tim

4

It is a tool holder - as in a place to put your pliers and snippers.
I have two, they work well.

Judy Hoch

5

My best guess- it’s a bending brake insert for angled bends…Modern
Metals magazine has photos of products that look similar…it seems
too angled to hold pliers, and is oriented upside down…On the other
hand the coating or composition looks graphite included and i would
speculate, if not a bending brake insert, for glass manufacturing as
opposed to enammeling trivets, etc.

6

A further remark: GRS has gone through several iterations of this
holding device. If I’m correct this is an earlier version of one part
of the ‘jig’.

You can see all at www.thermo-loc.com. I saw a live demo and was
impressed. The part pictured has been replaced by a plastic part.

I’m a big fan of Glendo or GRS; I have many of their tools. For those
who need to hold large or unusual shaped parts check it out.

I saw the demo of this product in April and was told it was going
into production. I have not yet contacted GRS to see if it is now
available.

No financial interest in Glendo Corp.
KPK

7

I don’t think it’s a GRS holding device - I have the thermoloc
holder that came with my GRS - it’s made of aluminum and of thicker
metal than what is pictured. Also, it’s not bent like that; it has
all perpendicular or parallel edges.

The menu holder sounds good, though.

Kelley

8

My friend from the other jewelry makers list sent the mystery thing
back to Rio last week with a letter begging someone to call her and
tell her what it is. Today she received a call from them. One of you
brilliant people got it exactly right.

In one of the digest replies to my original question, Tim wrote

I think it is the base for the "perforated necklace/earing
display" that is on page 87 of the 2007-2008 Rio Display &
Packaging catalog. Tim

And that’s exactly what it was! Good eye, Tim!

But how that got sent out in place of a ring mandrel will forever
remain unknown… At least all the folks on the other list can
finally sleep well, knowing that the mystery is solved. And I think a
few of them might go and buy one of those displays! :smiley:

Kathy Johnson
Feathered Gems Jewelry

9

Did I win a prize? Just kidding. I’m one of those people who love a
good mystery and, as an ardent fan of Rio Grande, have almost
memorized their catalogs.

Tim