bracelet forms / findings

[lennyb]

I need bracelet forms for mounting tumbled stones and for small (18x13mm) cabochons. Do you have, or can you get anything? The #40-347/9 and #40-367/9 series are good (I will order more as soon as I sell some pieces), but I'm looking for forms for slightly larger stones (5-8 stones per bracelet) and for 18x13mm cabochons. I am currently buying up the last remaining stocks in NZ and my local suppliers tell me these lines are discontinued and cannot be re-stocked. Please help.

[Polly]

Our 2 new styles of bracelet forms work for larger cabochons, because we've used larger links between the disks.  (The disk is still the same size, but now a large cab on one bracelet section won't run into a large cab on the neighboring bracelet section.)

[lennyb]

Thanks Poly. These are nice, and I have put them on my wish list for my next order. However, you need to understand that as far as I can tell, these are the only bracelet forms for cabochons in stock anywhere in the world that I can find.  Surely someone can supply something better?  I've been searching the internet and the shops all over New Zealand and Australia.  I've started making findings, but bracelet findings are rather tedious.

[Polly]

Hi Lenny,

If you could design the perfect bracelet form for your purposes, what would it be like?

--Polly

[Russ Nobbs]

Hi Lenny,

I've been working with findings since the mid 60's, back when the US had a major costume jewelry findings industry centered in Rhode Island. Most of the firms I bought from back then have faded away or were bought up and closed. I know at one time the rock hound / lapidary hobby trade had a lot of suppliers selling bracelets with pads on them.

That industry has faded away along with the original manufacturers. The tools and stamps are probably rusting in some warehouse in RI today if they haven't been sold as scrap. '>

In any event, by all means give us a description of what you would really like to have for a bracelet. And, if you have any of the closed out ones, send us a picture of each next to a ruler and tell us what you like and dislike about each of them.

We designed the new ones we carry in-house and could possibly have exactly what you want made for us as well.

[lennyb]

Thanks Russ and Poly.  I'm not sure how to post a picture but I'll try to describe what I have and what my ideal would be.
The 2 forms I have consist of 6 or 7 pads to hold 18x13mm cabs with a clasp. 1 has stamped & plated pads called "lace", so they have a lace border that folds in to hold the cab. The other is cast & plated and has simple glue pads with an elegant border. The cast form is much classier looking.
My ideal would be a simple system, very much like your current products, consisting of simple, elegant glue pads with a subtle, elegant border and connectors for links on both sides. The connectors should be wide enough so the stones will not easily roll on the wrist. This could be provided as bulk chain, or lose pads and links. Ideally, you could supply interchangable pads of a few different sizes such as 16x12, 18x13, & 20x15. This would let me choose to replace a pad with a charm or mix different sized cabs, and choose a different clasp. In fact, it would probably suit me if the product was nothing more than cab pads that could be interchanged into the chain of your existing product. That would allow me even more creative flexibility and would give you less manufacturing setup (keeping cost down). If they take off you could sell them as pre-forms or bulk chain, but just selling them as links that I could interchange into your existing product would be great.

[Polly]

Sorry about the delay!    One more question:  How deep should the cab pads be?

[lennyb]

Thanks Poly
The settings I have for 18x13mm cabochons are 0.5mm deep with a 1.5mm border around the stone (really a very simple, nearly flat pad).  the style of the border is cast to look like a ring of 0.5mm round wire framing the cabochon surrounded by a 1.0mm wide ring of a simple chiseled texture pattern, alternating wide and narrow sections.  Please let me know how I can post a picture or if you need more info.  Thanks.

As mentioned, this would be really cool in a creativity pack of unassembled parts:
 - 22x square pads
 - 46x round pads
 - 12x cabochon pads
 - 28x 9.5mm rings
 - 38x 10.5mm rings
 - 14x hammered rings
 - 14x oval rings
 - 4x jump rings
 - 10x clasps
If I did my counting properly, this is exactly enough to make 10 bracelets.

BTW, I just put in an order for 2 each of the disk-loop series bracelets to check them out. Unfortunately, 1 item was out of stock and cancelled. Would it be possible to add an option to have you contact (email) me if this happens again so I can consider options (like buying white instead of silver). This would be extremely useful for us international folks.

[Polly]

Hi Lenny,

Thank you for the details.  I'm putting this request in to our product development/research committee.  We haven't been happy with the bezel cup findings we've looked at recently so I'm not promising tangible results soon -- but know that we're looking (and weeding out production & design flaws).

--Polly