Update on Gold-Filled

After suggestions on my Facebook page, I took the coil to a local jeweller, to see if I could have it tested. He was unable to tell me whether the wire was plated or filled, however he did note that the wire was not flaking, which would be a sure sign of plating. He did take the coil for me, and polished it up using some Tripoli and a buffing wheel. You can see the result in the picture - top half, shiny, as I would expect it to be. Bottom half, dull.

Click to zoom

All in all, I must assume that the wire is gold-filled, and this is a puzzle. Does anyone have any suggestions for tumbling gold-filled? Anything different that needs to be done compared to sterling (remembering, however, that the first lot were tumbled in the same tumbler load, so I would have expected them both to be affected)? I have also put more feelers out to see what comes back, so there may be another update yet! At this point, I am assuming that it is gold-filled, and that I will have to attempt to polish it before I can use it.

Trouble With Gold-Filled

Shiny :-) vs. dull :-(

I recently had a request for some gold-filled rings. These are the coils I made from the wire I received, although they were made from two different lengths of wire. They were made at the same time, and tumbled together. The large coil is as expected - beautifully shiny. The small coils are dull and pitted on the surface.

Click to enlarge - you can really see the difference!

My supplier insists that both lengths of wire are gold-filled, so the question becomes one of mandrel size. Has anyone ever experienced gold-filled dulling down with smaller mandrel sizes? Or do you have any other explanation for the difference? 

Please ask your jewellery making friends as well!

Second Batch of Rings Listed

Finally got some sunny hours, so it was straight out with the camera. This batch of jump rings have an Aspect Ratio of 5, so they are suitable for:

• European 6-in-1
• Queen's Link (also known as Box Chain)
• Double Spiral (also known as Rope Chain)
• Half Persian 4-in-1

Double spiral makes a solid chain, that holds the spiral shape. Single spiral has to be twisted each time it is worn. Although it makes a lovely chain, that's a little bit more than most people want to have to do!

Next Batch of Jump Rings ... Nearly

After 6 days in a row of over 40^C at the beginning of this month, I am appreciating every single day of grey skies and rain that we are experiencing now. Unfortunately, I like to take my photographs outside in full sunlight, so that means even though my next batch of jump rings has been fully tested and are ready to list ... no can do, at this time. However, I thought I would give you a teaser of some of the weaves you'll be able to make with this AR.

European 6-in-1, Queen's Link (Box Chain) and Double Spiral (Rope) Chain

First Rings Listed!

I have listed my first batch of jump rings. There are 4 sizes of AR 3.5, which means they will be suitable for:

• Byzantine
• Euro 4-in-1
• Turkish Round
• Gridlock (Corduroy)
• Classic 2 in 2 chain

What will be next? I'd love to hear your opinions on which is your favourite weave - both to create, and to look at. Please leave your comments here, or participate in the discussion on my Facebook page.