please help with supply

Am looking for a supplier that carries the backings (findings?) for
shirt studs and cufflinks. Am helping a drama theatre project.
SUpplier sould be in the US and definetely have something as I have
checked over a dozen jewelry suppliers online manually and no one has
ANYTHING!

THanks,

NNed

In article ,
(Ned) writes:

shirt studs and cufflinks. ...
SUpplier sould be in the US

General Bead (www.genbead.com) has/had the cuff link backs, at least. Base
metal. You might also try Rio Grande (www.riogrande.com), although they
probably have the parts needing soldering and/or in precious metal.


Kaytee
"Simplexities" on
www.eclecticbeadery.com

Ned wrote:

Am looking for a supplier that carries the backings (findings?) for
shirt studs and cufflinks. Am helping a drama theatre project.
SUpplier sould be in the US and definetely have something as I have
checked over a dozen jewelry suppliers online manually and no one has
ANYTHING!

THanks,

NNed

Otto Frei http://www.ottofrei.com/
Rio Grande http://www.riogrande.com/

Both have extremely lousy web sites, and both have good catalogues, which you
can request either through the sites or by phone.
--
Abrasha
http://www.abrasha.com

Thanks, but you're right, alomost unusable sites. Plus some listed
don't have cufflinks and one doesn't seem to list findings though they
have that category. ANy more help?

Also, what's with some places charging even $5.00 or $10 for a catlog?

NNed

Abrasha wrote in message
. ..
Ned wrote:

Am looking for a supplier that carries the backings (findings?) for
shirt studs and cufflinks. Am helping a drama theatre project.
SUpplier sould be in the US and definetely have something as I have
checked over a dozen jewelry suppliers online manually and no one has
ANYTHING!

THanks,

NNed

Otto Frei http://www.ottofrei.com/
Rio Grande http://www.riogrande.com/

Both have extremely lousy web sites, and both have good catalogues, which you
can request either through the sites or by phone.

In article ,
(Ned) writes:

what's with some places charging even $5.00 or $10 for a catlog?

It costs a lot to print/mail those catalogs (Rio Grande actually has 4 separate
ones, and they Fed-Ex them...). They want to make sure that they re-coop some
of the costs of sending them to people who may never order.

Generally, they give you a "coupon" good for at least the cost of the catalog
to use with your first order over a certain amount.
Kaytee
"Simplexities" on
www.eclecticbeadery.com

I still haven't had much luck. I really need some cufflink and even
stud backings and am reaching dead ends, especially since we wanted to
purchase them by this week. Arghhh!!!!!

Nned

(Ned) wrote in message
. ..
Thanks, but you're right, alomost unusable sites. Plus some listed
don't have cufflinks and one doesn't seem to list findings though they
have that category. ANy more help?

Also, what's with some places charging even $5.00 or $10 for a catlog?

NNed

Abrasha wrote in message
. ..
Ned wrote:

Am looking for a supplier that carries the backings (findings?) for
shirt studs and cufflinks. Am helping a drama theatre project.
SUpplier sould be in the US and definetely have something as I have
checked over a dozen jewelry suppliers online manually and no one has
ANYTHING!

THanks,

NNed

Otto Frei http://www.ottofrei.com/
Rio Grande http://www.riogrande.com/

Both have extremely lousy web sites, and both have good catalogues, which you
can request either through the sites or by phone.

Ned wrote:

I still haven't had much luck. I really need some cufflink and even
stud backings and am reaching dead ends, especially since we wanted to
purchase them by this week. Arghhh!!!!!


What dead ends? Didn't I post the following? You even quoted it. Did
you
contact these two companies? They have what you are looking for?

Otto Frei http://www.ottofrei.com/
Rio Grande http://www.riogrande.com/

Both have extremely lousy web sites, and both have good catalogues, which you
can request either through the sites or by phone.

Abrasha
http://www.abrasha.com

On Tue, 27 Jan 2004 04:54:25 GMT, in rec.crafts.jewelry
(Ned) wrote:

I still haven't had much luck. I really need some cufflink and even
stud backings and am reaching dead ends, especially since we wanted to
purchase them by this week. Arghhh!!!!!

Nned

Ned.

As Abrasha already told you, these are easily available. He gave you
two good sources. You get their phone numbers from the web sites, and
then use the old fashioned phone to order.

I should leave it at that, 'cause I'm sure you do remember how to use a
phone, and understand that there are still many things, especially truly
wholesale suppliers, that are not, and have no interest to be, on the
web.

But I'm feeling generous, so I'll go into hand holding mode here :-)

Rio Grande's phone. 800 545-6566

Cuff links:

In sterling silver: prices for packages of 10 pcs.

standard "one piece" hard solder back
690-289 - $30.45

hinged style:
cuff link and rivet
630-090 $20.66
joint for above:
630-100 $3.78

One piece style, similar to the first, but with a soft solder pad added

630-053 $30.66

Sterling silver tuxedo Shirt Stud backs:

630-085 $24.32

Base metal Tuxedo-stud backs (packages of 12)

yellow 638-417 $12.47
white 638-418 $12.59

Base metal cuff link backs (a round, flat glue-on or soft solder type
pad, 15mm in diameter) packages of 12 pcs)

yellow 638-099 $3.61
white 638-100 $3.50

They've also got these things, as well as several other styles, in gold,
if you want the better quality. The folks on the phone will be happy to
assist you in finding what you need.

if you don't like these guys, then call Frie and Borel, who've got them
as well. Plus, usually, a few other styles perhaps, though I didn't
check.

Hope this helps.

Peter

Well call me old fashioned but a phone won't help when you want to at
least SEE a picture of what you want to buy. We don't buy things by
verbal description alone.

Also, we were hoping to be able to have a selction of items from which
to choose. Finally, I emailed both places to ask just a couple of
basic questions and after a few days NO response. Not sure I want to
deal with a business like that. Would you?

NNEd

Peter W. Rowe pwrowe@ixDOTnetcomDOTcom wrote in message
. ..
On Tue, 27 Jan 2004 04:54:25 GMT, in rec.crafts.jewelry
(Ned) wrote:

I still haven't had much luck. I really need some cufflink and even
stud backings and am reaching dead ends, especially since we wanted to
purchase them by this week. Arghhh!!!!!

Nned

Ned.

As Abrasha already told you, these are easily available. He gave you
two good sources. You get their phone numbers from the web sites, and
then use the old fashioned phone to order.

I should leave it at that, 'cause I'm sure you do remember how to use a
phone, and understand that there are still many things, especially truly
wholesale suppliers, that are not, and have no interest to be, on the
web.

But I'm feeling generous, so I'll go into hand holding mode here :-)

Rio Grande's phone. 800 545-6566

Cuff links:

In sterling silver: prices for packages of 10 pcs.

standard "one piece" hard solder back
690-289 - $30.45

hinged style:
cuff link and rivet
630-090 $20.66
joint for above:
630-100 $3.78

One piece style, similar to the first, but with a soft solder pad added

630-053 $30.66

Sterling silver tuxedo Shirt Stud backs:

630-085 $24.32

Base metal Tuxedo-stud backs (packages of 12)

yellow 638-417 $12.47
white 638-418 $12.59

Base metal cuff link backs (a round, flat glue-on or soft solder type
pad, 15mm in diameter) packages of 12 pcs)

yellow 638-099 $3.61
white 638-100 $3.50

They've also got these things, as well as several other styles, in gold,
if you want the better quality. The folks on the phone will be happy to
assist you in finding what you need.

if you don't like these guys, then call Frie and Borel, who've got them
as well. Plus, usually, a few other styles perhaps, though I didn't
check.

Hope this helps.

Peter

On Tue, 27 Jan 2004 18:14:05 -0800, in rec.crafts.jewelry
(Ned) wrote:

Well call me old fashioned but a phone won't help when you want to at
least SEE a picture of what you want to buy. We don't buy things by
verbal description alone.

Also, we were hoping to be able to have a selction of items from which
to choose. Finally, I emailed both places to ask just a couple of
basic questions and after a few days NO response. Not sure I want to
deal with a business like that. Would you?

NNEd

Ok, I understand not wanting to buy sight unseen, if you don't know what
you're buying. But frankly, this suggests to me you're not all that
familier with jewelry. Do you make or work with the stuff? Maybe I'm
wrong, but from my descriptions, most jewelers I know would understand
what I was talking about quite well, and not need it spelled out more.

If you're old fashioned, you'd have bought a catalog, and be using the
phone, not insisting stubbornly on finding a web site. Abrasha and i
both gave you what you need to know to find the items you want, and
you're telling us you're getting desperate to get them. So I'm puzzled
that now you're getting finicky about wanting your good served "just
so". Sheesh. It's not like we're talking lots of money here, and if
the things you order aren't quite right, then just return them. Not a
big issue, or at least it shouldn't be.

As to emails, for heavens sake. We've already told you these companies
are not big on the web, and you shouldn't be surprised then, that
they're not big with internet sales, and that includes email contacts.
just how much do you need this explained? You say you're old fashioned.
OK, fine. PICK UP THE DARN PHONE. The calls are free. What more could
you ask? Did you even TRY to call? How 'bout asking the people on the
other end of the phone to fax you a quick copy of the appropriate
catalog page? Don't know if they would, but did you ask?

I'm kinda guessing that deep down, underneath your offer to help that
theatrical group, you'd just as soon not do it, and are glad for any
excuse not to do so. maybe I'm wrong, but this isn't rocket science
here. And if you insist on pictures for free on the web, or in free
catalogs for everything you buy, you're guaranteed to be paying top
dollar at the full retail level, not finding many of the wholesale
suppliers. You're choice, but that just seems to me like shooting
yourself in the foot.

As far as dismissing the companies mentioned because they didn't answer
your email, well, that's your choice, but both Abrasha and I, and
perhaps others you may have talked to, will have told you both these
companies are very fine suppliers with extensive inventories of just
what you're looking for. If you don't want to avail yourself of their
services, it's your choice, but don't then come back and ask us to find
yet more suppliers for you when you're not totally tickled pink with the
largest, and often least expensive, suppliers in the country that most
other jewelers around are happy to use. There are very few jewelers
and and metals craftspeople in the U.S. today who've not at least heard
of Rio Grande, and most have dealt with them at least occasionally.
They've had occasional growing pains and customer service problems, but
for the most part, they do pretty well, and have an absolutely stunning
breadth of inventory. Frei and Borel do even better in the customer
care department, charge perhaps slightly more for some of their lines
of top quality hard to find tools, but for the most part, those who deal
with them like them a lot, at least for the fairly extensive selection
of items they carry that few others do. As I've told you, along with
others, the fee they may charge a new customer for their catalogs is
only a token portion of the actual costs of producing those catalogs,
and it's entirely reasonable for them to charge it, especially since
they'll refund that cost on an order.

Ah well. i'm starting to Rant. Sorry 'bout that. I just think you're
making a BIG mistake here, in your attitude. we're talking minor
amounts of money for very standardized parts, and you're making a
mountain out of a molehill of a problem.

Peter