Hello Kerri,
What a good idea to mark items as ‘Work-safe’ if designed to be
’break-away’.
Thanks for sharing, Judy in Kansas, where it is coolish with a hint
of rain. please, please, rain!
I just repaired a necklace with fine link chain so stretched out that
it added about 2 inches to the necklace. The chain finally snapped
after the ovals turned almost into rectangles. I can’t imagine how
many times I would had had to repair that one if the jumprings were
left open. I used to leave some open, but not any more. Too many
repairs, people are hard on jewelry.
I made an assumption and should have been more clear. I do not work in silver, bur use the base metals (brass, nickel and copper). Does this change some of the feedback that has been offered?
As the designer, maker and seller of your chain, it is you who
decides how its put together.
Likewise a boat mooring chain maker welds his links shut, a cookoo
clock weight chain maker doesnt.
Any precious chain maker is wise to make the chain safe in use with
a breakaway link for ultimate user safety.
Same guidelines apply to jewellery base metal chains.
Machine made curb chain for example in a wire thickness of 20/1000
in, is always soldered using solder filled wire fused in a cracked
ammonia reducing tunnel kiln.
You need to run a trial with the chain you make to decide wether to
solder or not.
Depends as Ive outlined above, on the thickness, hardness and
diameter of wire.
Does this change some of the feedback that has been offered?
Brenda, I’m gathering that maybe this was your posting to begin with
- I don’t remember. Some people here on Orchid - a couple in
particular - either forget or just never knew that there was jewelry
beyond their own noses. You asked the bald-faced question of when to
solder jump rings and the bald-faced answer is always, without
exception. If you want or need some sort of flexibility then use a
catch. That doesn’t mean that there doesn’t exist jewelry without
soldered jumprings, though. I could say all sorts of things relating
to standards of jewelry and craftsmanship and all sorts of people
will sit there and say, “Well, I can’t, or won’t do THAT.” Jewelry
includes $5 earrings that are some beads on unsolderd jumprings and
it’s a fact that if you solder them allthose $5 earrings become $10
earrings. It’s just life in the putty factory, you know? Since you
work in copper alloys, I doubt you care very much about how to set
diamonds in 6 prong settings either. The answer is solder them
always. If you have {any} reason to feel otherwise, well it’s your
jewelry now isn’t it?
Bad Idea to you, rer- However- please consider the fact that no one
on this list is neither a brainless nor emotionless person. I assure
you that at one time you were just as new as any of us.
Please understand you are comparing apples to oranges. I am not
within your price point or market- and you are aloof to think I do
this with good intentions only (I do it to earn a secondary income).
I do not, nor will I debate the merits of “Best Practice” with you as
my due diligence has been done and I have established a product in a
niche where there was a need- and in meeting that need for personal
adornment was restricted by rulesof safety and by meeting those rules
was (and still am) allowed to sell a product to a willing audience of
consumers. These consumers are aware of the limitations of the
product when they buy it, and it is marked as such so that others may
know as well. (Please note the option to have the safety link closed
as noted in the posting if the customer decides to have it soldered
and solid.)
Your statement of
This is actually the bad advice- when faced with limitations within the market, rules and constraints and still persevering presents not laziness but diligence to finda way.
I may be an “Amatuer” to you- but you have no idea my background in
other business interests or pursuits- and I certainly would
appreciate you refraining from labeling something that opens a new
market or a potential niche that is accompanied by meeting the needs
and constraints placed upon the situation by powers I have no
control over as “Bad Advice”… It is profitable, it is enjoyable,
and I like watching a fledgling business interest and market grow.
In these times and economies- ANY place that our arts as a
collective can grow and prosper is welcome in my world. And I have a
brain, an opposable thumb, and I know how to use cutlery. as we ALL
do on this list.
Kerri