This bail is 1 1/2 long x 1/2 inch wide and has a 1/4 inch roll it the top edge. Any idea where I can find sterling ones? I have searched through many of the major jewelry findings suppliers Many thanks for any advice.

If any of you want Tidbits emailed directly, let me know and I'll take care of it. Additionally, if you have friends who you think would enjoy Tidbits, please make them aware of us...and help me increase my circulation. URL (http://www.tyler-adam.com) ====================================== The...

I recently obtained a used Ngraver hand engraving tool that runs off a rotary shaft. I cleaned out some "gunk" inside and it runs well, but I wondered what the proper lubrication of this tool should be? Graphite? Light oil? Nothing? CB

Possibly a strange question - what will sparkle more (shimmer, catch eye...), one 10 by 10 mm square stone, or four 5 by 5 mm square stones, set in rows of two? So, you have the same size and shape, but one is made of a single stone, and the other is made of four smaller stones. Under...

I've been making silver headpins by melting the wire in a flame and letting it ball up. Fine, everything's good. I've been requested to make some 9ct gold headpins for someone. Fine. BUT! (BIG but!) does gold melt as easily as silver? Can I still do this with a regular torch and the same...

I was told that strontium titanate is heat sensitive and should not be removed from the dop by heating the dop. I have a nice SRB sitting in acetone for longer than I am interested in waiting and still can not get it off. I find it hard to believe that anything would happen to it if it sat...

I was trying to solder some silver (1mm I think) wire to itself in a simple filigree type thing using hard solder. I followed all the instructions in my book yet the wire melted before the solder. I'm using a small butane hand torch, would that make a difference? If so, I'm going to have to...

My favorite trick for manipulating stones in bezels is -- dental floss. Just slip a piece of floss that hangs out either end into the bezel before you test-fit the stone. Pull on the floss to get it out. Thanks for the tip about sewing needles. I just asked my wife -- the...

For purposes of a ring I want to have made, I'd like to purchase a nice fire agate that would finish into a square stone about 9/16" across. A local gem store has some round stones for about $30, but I'd like to pay more for a really nice example with no dead spots in it. I have no jewelry making...

I do filigree work...take a look at my documentation of a bit piece I did http://www.jeanniusdesigns.com/evolution Best regards, Jeanne Rhodes Moen http://www.jeanniusdesigns.com PS. Am going to write a book on how to do filigree work.

My first suggestion would be to use a shim stock other than brass. MSC, Graingers and similar places sell stainless steel shim stock, foil, etc. As for sealing brass, my first choice is a good quality clear nail polish. You can also get a jeweler's lacquer that is designed for the job, but it's a...

We have a new wholesale/retail jewelry site on the internet and need some help with a jump-start. Believe me, this site will take all comers when everything is up and running to 100%. We offer a handsome fee for bringing buyers to our site - but when the time is right, all those affiliates who...

My rolling mill has the customary series of 90 degree 'v' grooves for rolling 'square stock'. The bottom of the groove has a flat so that the final result is a square-ish octagon instead of a square. That's not a complaint, just an observation. When I take the resulting wire and begin to draw it...

I am making some bracelets made of large jump rings with glass beads (furnace glass or cane glass). Seems to be working pretty much ok except that I have an occasional glass bead crack (maybe 1 out of 10). To solve this problem, I cut a strip of fiber blanket and am laying it over the glass while...

I don't care what Steven Hawking says, worm holes exist and right in my latest ring. I think I have learned the hard way what Peter warned me about in private so I thought it would be useful to share my experience with the beginners that may be lurking here. I am making a ring for my wife and...

Sorry, I've had lots of questions lately! Could a pickle pot be as simple as a small Pyrex dish with a lid on the lowest (electric) hob setting? My "studio" is my kitchen so it would be convenient! I could probably stretch to a slow cooker type thing which I've seen recommended but I'd have...

If any of you want Tidbits emailed directly, let me know and I'll take care of it. Additionally, if you have friends who you think would enjoy Tidbits, please make them aware of us...and help me increase my circulation. URL (http://www.tyler-adam.com) ====================================== How...

Charlie's ring photo motivated me to have a go at a ring. I rolled up some polymer clay into a quarter inch stick and formed it into a circle, did a little squishing and squashing and put it in the oven. Then I sanded and filed it till it looked like it would come out of the sand without take to...

Can someone give me the mechanics of using paste solder for jump rings? Do you open the jump ring, apply the solder to one of the ends and then close it? I have tried it this way but it just seems to knock the solder out of the way when I close it. Or do you put a tiny bit on top of the joint...

HI, came across a 95.77 Ct Imperial Topaz online at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=10270&item=4921607089&rd=1 going for US 690! As we all know, imperial topaz fetch far higher than that, so what are your opinions of the stone? And how much would you value it? Thank...