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Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips

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  #1  
Old 2006-12-11, 4:40pm
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Default Help! Ideas needed on Design/Chain problem

Hey....I have this customer who ordered a necklace, bracelet, anklet and earrings set. I HAND made tiny aqua & dichroic, melted ice cube type beads, then made segments on eyepins of those with a swarovski bicone and 2mm ss bead on each end. Then I interspersed those with Sterling Silver chain. It was tedious of course and challenged my close up eyesight. Meanwhile I finish the whole set and take it over. I will try to attach a picture here. Well he is an artist and is therefore opinionated about artistic things. He said it was beautiful but when he saw the snake chain I brought over to string other beads for some quick necklaces he decided he wanted that chain in between each segment. Said it looked more "rich and delicate". So he wantes me to re-do it and said he'd give me another $100 to do so. And I"m big on customer service anyway, even though I wanted to cry. lol. So what I need is ideas. The one thing I thought of was to string them on fishing line with the magic crimper tool to make the round beads on each end of each segment and keepthem in place, then wind that around the snake chain. But what he really wants is for me to somehow just put ends on the snake segments and attach directly to the beaded links. Of course this needs to be done ....oh yesterday.
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  #2  
Old 2006-12-11, 4:59pm
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I don't have any ideas, but your avatar is hot!
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  #3  
Old 2006-12-11, 5:23pm
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I'm guessing you don't solder, do you? If you do, one way of doing it would be to solder caps with a loop on the end of each to each length of snake chain. They do sell pre-made caps for some diameters of chain, but if your chain is really fine, they're difficult to find. (You can try Rio Grande.) Of course fabricating the caps yourself from tubing and tiny jump rings is possible, but that's even more of a PITA than soldering on pre-made caps.

There are crimp-on ends, but they're going to be bigger and clunkier than you'd want.

Is there any possibility of talking your client into another type of fine, smooth chain that actually has loops on it, rather than snake chain?
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  #4  
Old 2006-12-11, 7:10pm
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Quote:
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I don't have any ideas, but your avatar is hot!
hehehehe Thanks! I like yours too!!! Noticed it last night.
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Old 2006-12-11, 7:21pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Emily View Post
I'm guessing you don't solder, do you? ...............

There are crimp-on ends, but they're going to be bigger and clunkier than you'd want.

Is there any possibility of talking your client into another type of fine, smooth chain that actually has loops on it, rather than snake chain?
Re soldering: Nope, not well enough for that.

Re another chain? None I can think of.

I'm close to Beads Galore and thought of running over there for some crimps but I agree....too clunky.
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Old 2006-12-11, 7:31pm
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I'd suggest to use the chain ends that are supposed to be soldered on that Emily was talking about but to glue them on instead of soldering, provided you use a strong enough glue so that they take a bit if weight.
What diameter is your snake chain ? You might alternately be able to use some crimp ends, the kind that have a loop at the end and you only crimp the middle ring. Rio has them in different sizes and designs.
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  #7  
Old 2006-12-12, 6:20am
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I think you all must be really nice and I must be a witch! I have gotten that a lot from graphics clients after completing a job on spec. Would someone ask you to change it if your work had been an oil painting? Sorry, dude. Customer service is swell and all, but this set represents a great deal of time and energy - it is finished. However - the snake chain is a lovely thought and if you like, I have this other set of beads that I think will look particularly beautiful with the design you are suggesting...

Your work, which includes design and execution, is just as valid as a sculptor's.
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  #8  
Old 2006-12-12, 9:33am
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Christy, I really appreciate your perspective! And he IS a painter! What a perfect illustration! And I did think about not undoing this one and putting it up on eBay but not sure it would sell for what it's worth. It might do better in a gallery type shop. Meanwhile I still need to try to come up with something for him. Though I know for next time to get half down before starting a job like that. And I would still like to make something he wants. But I still can't figure out how to do it and keep it looking delicate.

Any more ideas?
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Old 2006-12-12, 8:44pm
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What a bummer!! I think that set is beautiful just the way it is, and I would never be able to take it apart, if it were me.

To the best of my knowledge, people have hit on the only two ways to make snake chain work with that necklace. Either solder those endcaps with the loop to short sections of chain, or glue them on. Personally, I'd be worried that glue would cheapen the final outcome, either through appearance or through coming undone at some point in the future.

I worked in a jewelry store for years, but have never seen snake chain opened up and linked to wirewrapped sections. I really don't think it's a good chain to do that with.

If I were in your position, I'd probably call him back and said I did research, but can't do this in a way that would meet my quality standards.
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  #10  
Old 2006-12-12, 9:23pm
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aw man. what a bummer. And he's wrong.
The snake chain will detract from the beauty of the beads and make it heavy. What you made is more delicate and you have a good eye for jewelry.
He doesn't.
Does he KNOW how much work it'll take to redo everything? Cuz that 's what you're going to have to do. YOu'll have to take it all apart, THEN redo with snake chain that'll be an experiment and you'll always worry that it'll fall apart. And if he doesn't like THAT outcome? WOW.

You know your stuff. The set is gorgeous.

I say no.
There's no "Give me the exact same, but totally different".

PS: Don't put it on ebay for less than it should go for! I say keep it in your 'collection' to show people what you can do! It's really nice!!

Last edited by ellyloo; 2006-12-12 at 9:26pm.
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  #11  
Old 2006-12-12, 10:27pm
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Could it be he just doesn't like the look of loop chain?

If that's the case, maybe you could use the new silver SoftFlex wire. It's thinner than snake chain but you could connect the segments with crimp beads.
Maybe if you got some and showed him he'd like it as much as the snake chain.

*s*
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  #12  
Old 2006-12-12, 10:52pm
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Oooh...if he doesn't like the chain & likes the softflex wire, don't even bother with the headpins--just put the beads on it with the teensy midget crimps to hold them in place! If that's the look he's after, it's just as easy.
It's nowhere *near* as nice looking as the sterling chain in my mind, but if that's what *he* likes, heck, if you can, make another set of beads, whip 'em onto the wire & sell it to him for the INCREASED price (original, plus the $100 he offered you to re-do it!)
Then go sell that first set @ a gallery!
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  #13  
Old 2006-12-13, 12:26pm
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  #14  
Old 2006-12-14, 11:21am
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as a jewelry person, i think it is lovely as is, but if you are looking for something that mimics snake the Sterling Silver beadalon (i think) or Accuflex beading wire is pretty close. it's still SS so the quality won't be too diminished from the original piece. and you can use crimps directly on the wire instead of looping anything. hope that helps... i can't believe he wants you to cut up that jewelry... it's going to COST you, because all that wire wrapped silver is trash after it's cut up. what a PAIN.

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