Tags and stamping

[Katerimo]

Hello! I have found the tags for my jewellery I have been looking for here! But in the description it says you can stamp your logo onto this. How would I got about doing this?
Any advice would be much appreciated, thanks  '>

[Polly]

Hi Katerimo,

You would need to make (or have made for you) a custom die, and then use a hammer to tap that logo into the tag.

I believe we can have dies made for approx. $225, using your artwork (letterhead, business card, hand drawn, etc.).

Or, a much less expensive -- but more difficult -- method is to purchase a hand engraver, practice your logo or design, and then engrave the tags yourself.   (An old cookie sheet is a great place to practice.)  
I'm not sure of a good engraving tool supplier, but I've bought a simple style in the past (about 20 years ago) for only $20, and they worked great for sterling and plated nametags, ID bracelets and such.  There are also fancier styles on the market, for making ... I'm not sure what to call it, but if you do an internet search for "Jewelry engraving tools" you'll find some nice examples of finished work, and a few lonely links to actual tools.

[Luann Udell]

You can get a custom steel stamp with your own name or artwork on it.

I used Harper Manufacturing Harper Mfg. custom stamp maker  

I started by designing a logo with my name within a small drawing of one of my artifacts.  I reduced the drawing on a photocopier til it was the size I wanted.  I sent this drawing to Harper.

They produced a steel stamp with my design.  The cost varies with the size/diameter of the steel rod they use.  I THINK mine cost between $100-$150 and is roughly 1/2"-3/4" in diameter.

You can then use this stamp with....a hammer?...and stamp your own tags on stock tags.  Many jewelry supply catalogs (including, I think, Rings & Things??) stock blank tags for this purpose, in base metal, sterling, gold etc.

What I did was send the stamp to a friend who makes sterling silver jewelry and designs her own charms (which she then sends out to be cast.)  She made up about a dozen sample tags (with jump rings, so I can attach them to my jewelry) and sent the stamp and samples back to me.  

I picked the sample charm/tag I liked best, and sent it to a silver casting company that is willing to do small lots.  I keep the stamp.

A casting company creates a mold from your sample, usually for a fee of around $25 or so.  From this mold, they cast your custom tags.  You own the molds.  If you want them to keep casting your tags, they store the molds and make each batch to order.  If you decide to switch casting companies, you can ask to have your molds sent to you.

One good casting company (who will deal in small lots) is Masha Mfg.  in Albuquerque NM (505-256-9600).    Another is Sierra Pacific (510-444-0550) (I'm not sure where they're located, but they were highly recommended by my jewelry-maker friend.) There are many other casting companies located around Providence, RI because this use to be a major jewelry manufacturing area.  

It's important to find a caster that works in small quantities.  I'm pretty small potatoes, as jewelry-making goes, so I usually order in lots of 100-200.  The turn-around is about 2 weeks or so, depending on their workload.

My sterling silver tags usually cost a minimum of $1 each.  They don't actually weigh much, so I'm actually paying more for the labor, etc.  If you go this custom tag route, it's good to keep in mind how much silver will be used.  Big tags will cost more, especially as the cost of silver rises.

I love my tags!  This upfront cost may be more than more casual designers want to pay, but it's been a huge name-builder for me, and really puts my jewelry in a higher class.

[Russ Nobbs]

Great information and suggestions, Luann! Thanks!

In addition to Harper Manufacturing other places to make small stamps & tools for stamping include:
www.infinitystamps.com
Microstamp  www.microstampusa.com

The tags themselves are sometimes called "chain tabs."

At Rings & Things we've begun to work with a firm doing contract  laser engraving. They can produce an engraved logo tag at a price competitive with small stamp runs without as high a set-up fee. They can do small runs so you don't need to make 1000's at a time. They work from a digital file logo design like a Photoshop or Corel Draw file.  We are just working out the details. If that sounds interesting, give us a call.

[Luann Udell]

Russ, a jeweler on another former specifically recommended this product (at the Ifninity Stamps website you recommended) for accurate stamping:

Tagmate