Tiny Ball Bearings

Jewelry Discussion
1

I’ve made jewellery wih very small moving parts, and would like to
start incorporating ball bearings. Does anyone have experience with
such things? Where would one get the ball bearings? Do they get
soldered in place or do you need to do a mechanical join? Can gold
jewellery using them be karat stamped? I assume not, but it’s a
shame if it’s, say, an 18K gold and platinum piece…:o)

Janet in Jerusalem

2

Janet, I would suggest going to the Thomas Register for
I belive that they have a European version. This is a listing of
manufacturers and products that cover just about everything you can
think of. this is a great resource for brainstorming ideas and need
parts. their website is www.thomasregister.com. I have no connection
to them but have used their reference since the early 80’s and have
always been happy. as to incorporating bearings into your jewelry I
would probably stick to mechanical connections. The heat from
sodering will probably cause distortions in the bearings and anneal
the metal causing more wear then is acceptable.

I hope this helps, Jerry =]

3

Janet ,I use to make very unique spinning rings and pendants, boat
prop rings and pends using ball bearings. ( cool stuff ) Small Parts
Inc. is a good source for small ball bearings.

Http://www.smallparts.com
parts@smallparts.com
Hope this helps.
Tony

4

Try http://www.astbearings.com/ I have ordered a half dozen at a time
from these people.

bruce

5

Janet, I havent been keeping up with the post and Im not sure what
your doing. but for small bearings like that I would think of trying
Grainger.com. Or a Hobby shop may be the best shot for very small
ones cause I think they use them in remote controlled cars and such.
Daniel H

6

Janet,

Try www.bocabearings.com , they advertise worldwide shipping. A
quick glance at an old catalogue listed bearings as small as 1mm ID x
3mm OD x 1mm thick. Probably best to mechanically fasten… a bezel,
even a crimped one, maybe just some stitches depending on the loads.
You could try soldering in a stainless steel one, annealing will
affect its load bearing capacity but enough might remain.

Jeff
Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modeling & Goldsmithing
http://www.aztec-net.com/~jdemand

7

Hi Janet, The tinyest ball bearings are used in aircraft instruments.
Can’t give you a specific supplier but it’s a lead you may wish to
follow. Glenn

8

Haven’t paid a whole lot of attention to this thread, so I’m not
sure of the size you are looking for, but has someone suggested Small
Parts yet? I know they have both metallic and non-metallic ball
bearings

Laura Wiesler

9

Janet,

Try www.bocabearings.com , they advertise worldwide shipping. A
quick glance at an old catalogue listed bearings as small as 1mm ID x
3mm OD x 1mm thick. Probably best to mechanically fasten… a bezel,
even a crimped one, maybe just some stitches depending on the loads.
You could try soldering in a stainless steel one, annealing will
affect its load bearing capacity but enough might remain.

Jeff
Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modeling & Goldsmithing
http://www.aztec-net.com/~jdemand