Shiny, crafty, and a question

[cupcake_goth]

I keep looking at this charm bracelet. It's very cute, but I refuse to pay $135 for something I could make my own personalized version of.

The only problem I've run into with charm bracelets is that the jump rings holding the charms on sometimes pull open, and I lose charms. This is bad, obviously. Do any of you crafty types know of a way to avoid that problem?

Comments

[alexiarnps.livejournal.com]

Sterling silver 'split rings'. They're like mini sterling keychain rings. I have a bag of them at the house, they run about $.25 each at bead stores.

[cupcake-goth.livejournal.com]

Ah-ha! So this week at S&B, I sew more bats on handkerchiefs. Next week at S&B, I work on a charm bracelet. Nifty!

[theda.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, crafty jewelry making.. I may have to start making it to these stitch and bitches. The problem is I never know when I am getting out of work on Monday's. (example scheduled til 7 tonight, got out at 8 and it takes me a good hour and three buses to get from work to cap hill in the evening..)

[oldhalloween.livejournal.com]

If you don't my asking..other than looking nifty, is sterling a better choice for stability over cheap rings?

[princekermit.livejournal.com]

If it's something important, I will also double ring it. This provides a bit more resistance to it pulling open and if one goes, the other may hold it.

[dementiana.livejournal.com]

Look on eBay. I have seen almost all of those charms for way cheap there. Also, any bead store would have the rest of the supplies you'd need. I could see you making something similar for under $50

[butterflake.livejournal.com]

That's lovely! I can't wait to see the finished product.

[water-of-fire.livejournal.com]

That's fabulous.

[mahariel.livejournal.com]

alexiarnps beat me to it - I use split rings in my jewelry for just that reason.

-Victoria

[martygreene.livejournal.com]

Wow, I seem to be the one who doesn't use split rings. Interesting.

I don't like split rings, as I think they are visually unappealing, and they tend to catch on things for me.

I generally make my own jump rings from sterling, and using my little creme brulee torch, solder them closed when I'm done attaching something to something with them. Does that make sense?

one more from the jeweler chorus

[staxxy.livejournal.com]

this is why I use those sterling silver split rings.

HOWEVER, there is another way. But it is not so good for S&B. Silver Soder, and a sodering iron. if you have an entirely closed circle, you have no worries.

the problem I have had with split rings is that they *can* pull apart, mainly because the silver is soft and because they have achieved the thickness of a regular loop by bending thinner wire around the same width, it is not as sturdy all the way around.

But if you look, a lot of the jewelry I have made for you has those split rings in use. So you can check them out for yourself when you get home, and decide if those will work the way you want them too. :)