Candygirl7 says:
August 13, 2014 at 9:01 am
Hello all!
I am new here and I need some advice. I collect all types of charms, silver and gold, but need advice. I have some very old retro charms in 14kt and 18kt. gold that I inherited from my deceased aunts. I am creating a new bracelet for myself from these charms and because some of them are quite heavy (some are weighing in at 13 to 14 grams) I need to know a proper size jump ring to buy or use for heavier type charms. So, what do you use when you have a heavy charm? I contacted a person on Ebay who claims to be a jeweler and said an average charm would use a 6mm jump ring but for mine maybe go to jewelry store in person and see what they say. Well, I know they will charge a good deal and perhaps tell me to custom make jump rings. I would appreciate any and all comments to my inquiry. Thank you!
Kyria-d says:
September 2, 2014 at 3:03 am
the best jump rings if you aren’t going to have them soldered are the snapeez ‘magic no solder’ junp rings which can be bought from either’a genuine find’ or ‘echarmony’ sellers – there are links to them at the top of the page. i suggest 8mm but 6mm will work also. i don’t suggest that you use 14l gold because solid gold is too soft for such large charms. congratulations on inheriting such wonderful reminders of your family! i’d love to see a picture when you finish your bracelet.
Hi Candygirl! I would love to see your bracelet too. What a wonderful thing to inherit!! Yes, such treasures should be attached properly to a bracelet and worn. Thank you Kyria for recommending my store, A Genuine Find, for jump rings.
Candygirl, I would definitely recommend the gold-filled rings. Like Kyria said, the 14k gold rings are too soft and will definitely need to be soldered. That will cost you a fortune. The gold-filled rings that I carry are super strong. You can’t open them with two fingers — you’ll need a pair of non-serrated jeweler’s pliers for each hand. Instructions come with each pack you buy to ensure you attach the jump ring correctly. Once the charms are on the bracelet, you won’t have to solder or worry about losing one.
I also carry the gold-plated rings. The price point is a lot lower so if you choose to use them, they would work as well. The finish is a little brassier so it just depends on your preference.
As for size, it depends on the size of your bracelet link. If you have a chunky link and the charms are big and chunky then the 8mm size would be best. They are great for big disks and the larger, retro charms you might have. The 6mm rings go through 99% of the charm bales and can be used with just about every bracelet link. It’s the standard size that I recommend for charms that are small to average in scale. I sell each size ring in lower quantities so you can purchase small bags to experiment with.
Please contact me directly should you need anymore help. You can email me through eBay by searching for yogiw and going to “Questions” at the bottom of every listing.
Can’t wait to see the finished product!
Sorry, forgot to add the link to the gold rings in my store. Click here to see the different sizes and finishes:
http://stores.ebay.com/yogiws-A-Genuine-Find/_i.html?_nkw=gold+rings&submit=Search&_sid=13881345
Hello there Kyria-d and Yogiw. I thank you so much for your input to my dilemma. Yes, I have heard of the Snapeeze links and wondered about them as the Ebay person I contacted recommended them too. I have completed the bracelet and all but two of the original jump rings were able to be used. The other two were made from gold scraps I had from broken lever backs from earrings. The jump rings were all solid 14kt but I certainly see your points in using the gold filled ones as they are stronger. Still, I was hesitant as I am a purist , so to speak. I wanted all gold to be used on the bracelet. Would you put Ford rims on a Cadillac? Tee hee! In any case , I promise to post a photo of it—right now, it weighs 116.7 grams. Did I say I like big and heavy? Well, I do! I am about to start a second bracelet—this is a bracelet that was owned by my Mom, never completed so I reserved two of the heaviest charms for this project. I will be happy to include this in my picture as well when finished.
I know I am a very lucky gal to have this collection and I humbly appreciate all that was left to me. I do thank you for offering your knowledge and wisdom —I have much to learn from you charm lovers and this great site. Cheers to all of you and many thanks again for the advice. Oh! One more thing—the jeweler that attached my charms charged very nominal fee, I think. The first one was $8.00 and all others after that, he charged me $5.00 to solder. I was happy for that.