bracelet

when creating a bracelet, do we use strip settings and solder joints
together? just want to confirm before making expensive mistakes...
thanks.

On Wed, 29 Nov 2006 18:58:15 -0800, in rec.crafts.jewelry "
wrote:

when creating a bracelet, do we use strip settings and solder joints
together? just want to confirm before making expensive mistakes...
thanks.


You CAN use strip settings, and soldered joints, when making some types of
bracelets. But you CAN also use all sorts of other findings, or make your own.
the question is more whether you SHOULD use a certain strip setting or other
findings for a given bracelet design, and that depends a lot on the design, and
the specific finding you're talking about. Some strip settings, for example,
are too fragile to use all by themselves as a bracelet without other componants
supporting the thing... And you're not specifying just what joints are you
asking about soldering? I'd assume you mean joining together several lengths of
the strip setting findings to get a longer length, and if that's the case,
soldering or various forms of welding, are the usual choices.

The question is somewhat meaningless unless you give us a good deal better idea
of what sort of bracelet you're trying to make. For example, if you're
trying to make a high end bracelet in platinum with fine diamonds etc, the
finest result for some designs would be obtained by hand fabricating the whole
thing from wire, not using a cast commercial strip setting (which can look
somewhat cheap and commercial by comparison to the hand made piece) But that
sort of bracelet will be a good deal more time intensive and require greater
skill, and command a higher price. This might not be what you're looking to
make.

More details please, for more meaningful answers.

Peter