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Sterling sizes/prices last updated January 20, 2011 — view price list Base Metal sizes/prices updated January 15, 2010 — view PDF price list |
2011
23 April: Anodized Aluminum update: For your
convenience, here are a list of the colors that we have in our new, shiny AA
as of today. Note that we pre-assemble many kits weeks and months ahead of
time, so some kits may still have old, matte finish stock, even if that
color is on the "new" list below. Most mixes will contain a mix of matte and
shiny rings, even in the same color. Do not order a mix if you are not OK
with that! Also, some pre-bagged packs might still be matte-finish, so if
your project has very strict color requirements, always call or email to
double check. We try to post updated lists every 1-2 months. Read the original
February 2010 notice, below.
New AA
D20: ALL colors
F20: black, blue, gold, green, pink, turquoise
F18: ALL colors
H18: ALL colors
L18: ALL colors
L16: ALL colors
P16: ALL colors
T16: ALL colors
T14: ALL colors EXCEPT orange
X12: ALL colors
18 April: Added new Lily toggles in sterling silver and vermeil. Also available in base metal: copper-, silver- and gunmetal-color.
12 April: New Gunmetal finish for some findings, like the Hammered Ellipse and Hammered Ring.
12 April: New advanced-level kit, Galadriel's Cuff (Elf Weave), as featured in Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazine April/May 2011 Vol. 7 No. 2.
24 February: New intermediate-level kit, Akimbo, which is shown using our Czech glass rings and colored enameled copper rings.
17 February: Anodized Aluminum update: For your convenience, here are a list of the colors that we have in our new, shiny AA as of today. Note that we pre-assemble many kits weeks and months ahead of time, so some kits may still have old, matte finish stock, even if that color is on the "new" list below. Most mixes will contain a mix of matte and shiny rings, even in the same color. Do not order a mix if you are not OK with that! Also, some pre-bagged packs might still be matte-finish, so if your project has very strict color requirements, always call or email to double check. We try to post updated lists every 1-2 months. Read the original February 2010 notice, below.
New AA
D20: red, green, blue, purple, pink, black, gold, violet
F20: green, black, gold
F18: ALL colors
H18: ALL colors
L18: ALL colors
L16: ALL colors
P16: ALL colors
T16: red, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, turquoise, gold, violet
T14: red, green, blue, purple, brown, black, turquoise
X12: ALL colors
11 February: New kit for Coiled Bracelet, as featured in Wirework Spring 2011 magazine by Kalmbach publishing.
10 January: Our silver prices have been constant for more than a year. Back then, the silver market was $20.50/oz. It is now up to $29/oz. As a result, we have increased our silver prices. We've eaten some of the cost, but unfortunately, we have to pass some of the increase on to you. Over the next few weeks, we'll also be adjusting the silver kits to reflect the price increase.
2010
24 November: New Ring Picker page for easy ordering of jump rings. Plus the first 31 kits for CHAINED projects! And... snowflake kits for Rebeca's project in Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazine. It's been a busy couple of days for us. *grin*
18 November: Rebeca's book Chained has been released! We also have some copies of Step by Step Wire Jewelry Magazine for sale, and will be adding kits soon.
18 October: Anodized Aluminum update: For your convenience, here are a list of the colors that we have in our new, shiny AA as of today. Note that we pre-assemble many kits weeks and months ahead of time, so some kits may still have old, matte finish stock, even if that color is on the "new" list below. Most mixes will contain a mix of matte and shiny rings, even in the same color. Do not order a mix if you are not OK with that! Also, some pre-bagged packs might still be matte-finish, so if your project has very strict color requirements, always call or email to double check. We try to post updated lists every 1-2 months.
New AA
D20 - purple
F20 - black
F18 - ALL colors
H18 - ALL colors
L18 - ALL colors
L16 - black, blue, gold, green, pink, red, turqouise, violet, yellow
P16 - black (new, but matte finish), brown, orange, violet
T16 - black, blue, purple, red, turquoise
T14 - blue, purple, brown, turquoise
X12 - black, blue, brown, gold, orange, pink, purple, red, violet
15 October: We are now accepting pre-orders for Rebeca's book Chained! We also added a few other books to our library (some for a limited time only), so check them out in the DIY Kits & Instructions section.
Lots of off-color and hodgepodge rings added to the Sale Page.
22 September: Several new styles of anodized niobium toggles and hooks, handcrafted especially for Blue Buddha Boutique. The perfect way to finish your anodized niobium pieces!
24 August: We now have premium anodized aluminum scales! And a free Shaggy Scales tutorial to boot. Enjoy!
20 August: Anodized Aluminum update: We have transitioned about 50% of our AA colors to the new shiny AA. Our most popular sizes (F18, H18, L18) are nearly 100% transitioned. The 16ga rings are about 30-50% transitioned, and we are just beginning to do 20ga rings. Because we are still working out color issues with our new anodizer, some of the colors do not look as they do on the website. We are waiting to photograph the new colors until we've standardized the ideal dye swatch. If you have any questions or concerns, especially if you want to order rings of the same color in different sizes and have them match, please contact us prior to placing your order so we can see if our current stock will meet your needs.
For your convenience, here are a list of the colors that we have in our new, shiny AA as of today. Please note, however, that we pre-assemble many kits weeks and months ahead of time, so some kits may still have old, matte finish stock, even if that color is on the "new" list below. Most mixes will contain a mix of matte and shiny rings, even in the same color. Do not order a mix if you are not OK with that! Also, some pre-bagged packs might still be matte-finish, so if your project has very strict color requirements, always call or email to double check. As this list will likely be out of date within a few weeks, we'll try to post updated lists each month.
New AA
D20 - purple
F20 - black
F18 - ALL colors EXCEPT Brown, Pink & Violet
H18 - ALL colors
L18 - ALL colors EXCEPT green & purple
L16 - red, green, blue, black, turqouise, violet
P16 - orange, brown, black, violet
T16 - red, black, violet
T14 - blue, purple, brown, turquoise
7 July: New kits & instructions for Dragonscale. Mini Dragonscale (the class Vanessa taught at Bead&Button) will be up soon!
20 June: New kits & instructions for Bold & Brilliant Byzantine and Bicubix Blocks, both classes by Kat that debuted at the recent Bead&Button show!
3 May: New kit for Squares with Flair, as featured in the June/July 2010 issue of Step by Step Wire Magazine. We also added the squares as separate components on our Clasps/Findings/Specialty Beads page.
30 March: New bracelet project - Illuminated Tunnel by Kat. The instructions are available now; kits will be online by April 8th.
28 March: Updated the magazine project supply list page with four new projects. More projects will come by the end of April.
11 February: By popular request, added a sterling silver filagree toggle to the findings page.
1 February: We are completely revamping our entire Anodized Aluminum process. When we're finally all set up, the new rings will be 100% Made-in-the-USA. The aluminum is melted in a Kentucky mill; the wire is drawn and spooled to our precise specifications at a family-owned manufacturer here in the Midwest; the spools are coiled and cut by expert chainmaillers; and the rings are colored by one of the most innovative anodizing companies in the country.
Potential new hues: lime green, burgundy, bright turquoise, purple iris, gold
We're still in the final stages of testing the wire and the finishes, and it'll be several months before the transition is complete. In the meantime, here's what to expect:
- We started our transition in October, but ran into some trouble with the wire, which was a little more brittle than we wanted. This means that the first few batches behave more like titanium than aluminum, so you'll have to be careful not to bend them too far, or bend them too much, or they'll snap. There's been a delay in stocking more product while we troubleshot this temper issue (it's almost worked out, but we have 300 lbs of this wire needing to be used!) More than 90% of our customers have been able to work with the rings just fine...so the problem isn't devastating, but we do want to fix it. :-)
- Once we sorted out the temper issue, we had a wire gauge issue, so for about 150 lbs, the wire is 0.01" thinner than it should be. The overwhelming majority of you won't notice this, but those super-picky folks might.
- If you have problems due to the brittle temper, or the thinner wire guage, let us know. We'll do what we can to figure out a solution you're happy with.
- You'll know that you have a "new" ring if the cut is open with the left side toward you, instead of the right side:
New ring (left side closer) |
Old ring (right side closer) |
- Many of our new rings have a shiny finish, which you can see in the violet ring above. For a while, there will be overlap in our stock, and you may receive shiny-finish rings in a kit, but matte finish rings of the same color if you buy in bulk. We'll try to transition as quickly as we can, but our ringmakers can only work so fast!
- We're starting with 18- and 16-gauge rings, and will then move on to the 14g and 20g rings. We're trying to stock as fast as our ringmakers will allow us, but you should expect delays and out-of-stock colors for the first few months. (We're working as fast as we can, believe us!)
- Some of our color swatches may change slightly as we work with the new anodizer.
- For orders placed between roughly February 5th and the 20th, we'll send a few sample rings of our new AA with every order we ship.
- Tell us what you think about Anodized Aluminum jump rings by filling out our online survey. Based on what you say, we might make a few tweaks before completing the transition. After all, we're doing this for you, so we want to make sure you're happy with the finished product!
- Once we've got production down to a science, we should be able to offer bulk purchasing options at reduced prices. If you're interested, please send us an email letting us know what sizes/colors you're most interested in.
We're asking you to bear with us for a bit during the transition. We are working hard to give you a better product, and we think you'll be pleased. In addition to filling out our survey you can always let us know what you think by sending us email.
15 January: Added glass rings to the findings page.
8 January: You can now mix'n'match the small enameled copper toggles and can purchase cosmic rings in the findings section. (Eventually we'll have separate pages for the beads/toggles/other components, but for now, they're all lumped together on the findings page)
6 January: New kit for Crystal Ring Byzantine, as featured on the cover of Wirework 2010 magazine by Kalmbach publishing.
2009
30 November: Red, green and black P18 rings added to the Sale Page.
31 October: Lowered prices slightly for most packs of 18ga and 16ga Anodized Aluminum. Look for our announcement about our new Anodized Aluminum rings soon!
29 October: New kits for the Glass Caterpillar weave. We'll have instructions soon! (Look at it this way, if you order your kit now, you'll have it by the time the instructions come out!) This is Kat's first kit for Blue Buddha, and we're all excited about this spectacular design!
20 October: A new kit for the Cylon weave. Currently only available in base metal, but we'll get the sterling kit up by the end of the year.
Also added 4-and 5-strand base metal slide clasps to the findings page.
16 October: We revamped our anodized niobium section by changing our mixes to color blends and reducing the prices for these blends as well as unanodized niobium and the multi mix. Additionally, you can now select niobium colors blends as a kit option (for select sterling kits) at price less than the solid-color option.
We also have a new size in enameled copper: H19. We just have about 6 colors right now, but will slowly be filling in the other colors throughout the year.
12 October: A new size in sterling silver: J19. Perfect as outer rings for Jacob's DNA Ladder (Captive Inverted Round) with H18 NIOB. We updated the at-a-glance price list to reflect the new sizes. (But all silver prices remained the same...keep your fingers crossed we can continue to hold our silver prices where they've been since last year, even though the market price has increased nearly 50%)
1 October: New sizes of anodized niobium rings: H18 as a regular stock item, and two limited edition sizes: I14 and E16.
9 September: Good news! Negotiated a better price for our raw niobium, so the prices for anodized niobium earwires have dropped. Also Updated the supply list page for chainmaille projects in magazines. Just in time before the new Step by Step issue comes out. We've had a sneak peak of the new issue, and we know there are some fabulous chainmaille projects in that one!
3 September:New free instructions for Double Spiraland kits to match!
2 September:Added another Sale PDF — Open (Inverted) and Turkish Roundmaille.
28 August: We've posted Scott David Plumlee's latest book, Chain and Bead Jewelry: Creative Connections. There's some pretty cool designs in it, stuff we haven't seen anywhere else. Local folks, you should bring their books to the studio Sept 19-20 to have your copies autographed!
15 July: A new portable tote for your chainmailling and beading needs. Also some new sizes available: M18, I20, J20 and T18.
14 July: At last! We now sell colorful enameled copper toggles! We've also added a solid bronze toggle and will add more styles if you guys like them.
03 July: Now available—multi-mix rubber rings.
01 July: Several new products: The Japanese Flower Bracelet kit and instructions, a tumbler and digital calipers.
25 June: Added the Small Hammered Ring and bulk pricing on some more findings (base metal pendant bails and slide clasps).
22 June: A few new findings: Cursive-style toggle and Large Hammered Ring
18 June: You requested, we listened. We're now offering Standard Shipping (First Class) for orders less than $35. If you order is $35 or more, the price will default to the Priority Mail rate, and your package will ship Priority. Note that Standard Shipping items usually ship in a bubble envelope. For more about our shipping terms, please refer to the contact page.
20 May: New necklace tutorial: Jacob's DNA Ladder (Captive Inverted Roundmaille).
14 May: Some off-size and tangled rings added to the Sale page. Mostly aluminum rings, some are untumbled.
8 May: Huge lobster claws added to the findings page. Also, another Sale PDF — Half Persian 3-in-1 and Half Persian 4-in-1.
6 May: For our customers who like to try a little of everything, we've got a new sampler pack for you: the colored rings sampler.
2 May: Added a book, Easy Chain Mail. Also added anodized niobium earwire. And lastly, we were able to negotiate some new rates for some of our findings, so some prices have dropped, especially for the bulk items.
10 April: New tools! Two types of chain nose pliers, and also Flat Nose Baby Wubbers. We just unpacked the Wubbers, and they smell like cherry candy—an added aromatherapy bonus! ;-)
8 April: Tool Magic is back in stock on the tools page, and we added the 3-hole gunmetal slide clasps to the findings page.
6 April: Another Sale PDF — Gridlock Byzantine.
02 April: One new size of base metal jump rings — size G16, perfect for Jens Pind. We don't yet have stainless, but we will eventually. We're working on a few more sizes and should post them within a couple of weeks.
25 March: More Sale PDFs — European 6-in-1 and Full Persian.
24 March: Limited edition Black-handled pliers. When they're gone, they're gone for good!
23 March: By popular request, we are now stocking Sale PDFs. We'll try to add a couple each week until our entire stash of "beta-version" PDFs are on that page. Up next are European 6-1 and Full Persian.
18 March: Our Bent Nose Wubbers are back and stock, and we also have brand new Medium Flat Nose Wubbers—the width on these is just perfect for us! We've got some baby Wubbers on backorder, so look for them sometime during the next month or so.
15 March: Added gunmetal earwire. Currently only available in 2- and 10-packs, but we'll be selling these by the gross by April or May.
12 March: We now have sampler packs for base metal rings, including a mini "Try-Before-You-commit" stainless steel pack. Chains by Becky is back in stock, and thanks to fluctuations in the Canadian dollar, the price has been lowered! And, last, but not least, we have the newly redesigned Wubbers!. We're waiting to get the bent-nose pliers, but they should be here within a few weeks.
4 March: Added a smaller "mini mix" anodized aluminum sampler. Base metal samplers are coming soon!
3 March: Added new base metal lobster claws and an economy toggle in gunmetal.
28 February: We've adjusted our shipping rates: Domestic shipping remains $6.95 for Priority mail orders up to $99.99. If your order is $100-$249.99, take advantage of a discounted rate of $5.00. Orders totaling $250+ include free shipping & handling. Note that PDFs do not count toward the total in order to get discounted or free shipping. Refer to the Contact Page for more details on shipping.
20 February: Just added base metal slide clasps in four finishes. These are really nifty, and economical. Finally, slide clasps in something other than sterling or gold! The manufacturer was out of the 3-strand gunmetal clasps, but we've got them on backorder and will update the website as soon as we have 'em!
16 February: New sizes of base metal jump rings to match the anodized sizes we added a few months ago: T14 and T16. We'll be testing out more patterns with the large rings and will be sure to update the list of recommended weaves.
10 February: Added a few off-size bright aluminum jump rings, some matte-finish P18 aluminum and a bit of mixed-up brass to the Sale Page.
06 January: We're now selling Dylon Whyte's newest book: Beaded Chain Mail Jewelry: Timeless Techniques with a Twist.
2008
28 November: Per our customers' request, we've started a supply list page for chainmaille projects in magazines.
26 November: OK, so these aren't exactly supplies, but they are so cute we figured lots of chain-making folks would want them: Snowflakes Greeting Card.
19 November: Yay! The Euro Tool Ergonomic Pliers are back in stock.
15 November: A new pendant kit in yummy colors: Flower of Life.
6 November: A new beginning-level kit: Mesh & Rosettes. Also a new size of machine-cut anodized aluminum rings, CC14, that are used in Link It! Because the rings are so large (and the book actually only calls for a total of 1 ring in this size!) we are selling them in mini-packs of 5 rings, as well as in 50-packs.
30 October: We have about a dozen sizes of F19 enameled copper now available. The rest of the colors in that size should be ready by the end of the year. We also raised prices for D20 enameled copper ever-so slightly (the EC costs what the EC(S) used to cost, and the EC(S) went up a bit.
16 October: Added a few sizes of machine-cut anodized jump rings for folks making projects in the Link It book.
7 October: Our supply list for Link It is complete. Over the next few days we'll triple-check it to make sure we didn't make any typos (there are a LOT of numbers!), but in the meantime, if you have any questions, please let us know.
6 October: The rubber rings used in Susan Thomas' book are now available!
2 October: We'd hoped to have the rings up by now, but Rebeca's been under the weather, so things have been delayed. Next week for sure! In the meantime, you can see the supply list that we're starting to create. Eventually it will include a complete list of all the rings needed for each project in the book.
30 September: Added more rings and some toggles to the sale page.
29 September: We updated many of our base metal stats. As part of our efforts to standardize our ring sizes, we are switching our 18g ALUM to 1.22 mm to match the wire diameter of all the other 18g base metals. We have just started this switch as of late September 2008. Once we sell out of our entire inventory in a particular size, we'll switch to the new wire. We will try to keep the stats page updated frequently so you can see which sizes have the new 18g. See D18 stats ALUM for a sample of the note we'll use to indicate we're using the new wire.
25 September: A bit of good news! We lowered our silver prices a tad. Let's keep our fingers crossed that sterling doesn't shoot back up to $20/oz anytime soon!
12 September: Copies of the new book Link It! are now available. We are creating a supply list for the book soon, to make it easier for you to put together your order. Rubber rings should be ready for sale by the end of the month!
8 September: Added a multi-mix in enameled copper. We'll add more mixes soon!
6 September: Several colors of anodized aluminum rings are back in stock, along with a few colors in two new sizes: T16 and T14. We also realized our green enameled copper is NOT silvered, as so we moved it to the regular enameled copper section. In it's place, we have a new silvered color, lime. That means in 20 gauge, we now carry 10 regular enameled copper colors, and 17 silvered colors. We've just made a multi-mix and will be adding that to the site soon.
21 August: Mongo pliers now available for those working with really huge rings. Also added a copper-plate version of the economy toggle.
19 July: We just added kits and instructions for the Rondo a la Byzantine class that Rebeca taught at Bead&Button 2008. Both the Rondo a la Byzantine Bracelet and pendant/earrings kits are available.
17 July: Enameled Copper rings are now available. Plenty of delicious colors for you to work with!
14 July: Kits and instructions are now available for the Hodo bracelet that Rebeca taught at Bead&Button 2008.
09 July: A few nifty findings added: hammered rings and two pendant bails, celtic style and royal style.
30 June: We've added Wubbers Round Nose Pliers for the convenience of our wire-wrap customers. We're not yet sure if we'll keep this item in regular inventory; it depends on how many folks buy them or request us to keep them in stock. If you want to request that, just send Rebeca an email at rebeca@bluebuddhaboutique.com
23 June: The Art of Chainmail book is back in stock.
20 June: The anodized niobium rings are now ready for purchase. We're starting with two sizes, B20 and D20, and will eventually add 18g and 16g sizes. Lots of brilliant, sparkly colors and mixes....yummy!
17 June: A new book: Chains by Becky. We've received many requests to carry this book, so we are now stocking it in regular inventory.
16 June: New practice kits for DVD Vol 1 and Vol 2 in jewelry brass, as well as a mixed ring kit that allows you to try aluminum, copper and brass all in one kit!
12 May: Several anodized rings are back in stock. Also, please see the update in the March 25 2008 entry regarding standardizing our ring sizes.
21 April: A new silver size: G17. Makes a great Byzantine and Turkish Round. It's also used for Rebeca's Polyhedron earring.
25 March:The transition has begun! Starting with the current batch of rings that are being coiled & cut, we are standardizing our base metal sizes. Softer metals will be coiled around slightly larger mandrels, and stiffer alloys coiled around smaller mandrels. For you, this means that a H18 aluminum ring will be the same as H18 copper and H18 steel—and the same goes for all sizes in base metal (silver will still have its unique sizes). To keep things simple, we'll still call the ring a 3/16" (4.8 mm), but you'll know that the end result for H18 will be the same across all metals.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: The task of standardizing is proving more difficult than we thought. Trying to find a bright aluminum alloy that is high quality and the correct wire diameter is nearly impossible. We will keep trying. In the meantime, though, 20g and 18g aluminum rings are going to be a slightly smaller wire diameter. We will still match the AR as closely as possible, though, so if you do a weave in H18 copper, for example, you can repeat the weave in H18 aluminum, and it will look exactly the same, except it will be a hair smaller.
For now, we still have inventory that we'll need to use up before we get to the new rings (so if you need to match a particular copper or steel size, now is probably the time to do it!) Please make sure to always purchase more rings than you think you'll need for your project, because our sizes probably won't be fully standardized for several months. We'll keep the base metal stats page updated with notes on which metals have been standardized, and we will be calculating and posting new Aspect Ratios for all sizes.
And speaking of AR, you'll also begin noticing that our packaging is changing. The labels for loose rings will now include much more information, such as the mandrel size, wire guage, and the Aspect Ratio of the ring. Handy!
Finally, note that during the limited ordering period, the sale page has been emptied. We'll add more items in early April.
20 March:We have discontinued the antique silver toggles from our regular inventory, and moved our stock over to the sale page. If you like these toggles, you should stock up before we run out completely!
19 March:Added photos of the finished pieces for the ring kits for DVD Vol 1 and Vol 2. We'll be adding kits in jewelry brass later this year, along with a "mixed" kit that includes copper, aluminum and jewelry brass.
13 March: Our silver prices have been constant since July 2007. Back then, the silver market was $12.50/oz. It is now up to $20.50/oz. (Ouch!) As a result, we have increased our silver prices. We've eaten some of the cost, but unfortunately, we have to pass some of the increase on to you. Over the next few weeks, we'll also be adjusting the silver kits to reflect the price increase.
4 March: A few new tools added to the tools page. One pair of economy Beadsmith flat nose pliers, and an entire line of Wubbers pliers. The Wubbers pliers were designed to be comfortable, affordable pliers specifically for wire-work and chainmaille. We're excited to be among the first retailers of this product, and we welcome your feedback (we're in close contact with the manufacturer and will glady pass along your feedback, as they continue to improve upon these already-nifty pliers, and develop new pliers). In addition to our normal flat nose pliers, we are stocking bent nose and chain nose Wubbers. Eventually we'll stock bent and chain nose pliers in the other brands as well—if you've got a preference for what we should stock first, please let us know!
3 March: Added a few cabachons (carnelian, aventurine and tiger eye) to the sale page.
28 February: Many items added to the findings page, including gold-color base metal pendant bails, brass earwire, base metal spring clasps, and a lovely hand-fabricated sterling silver toggle. We now sell base metal earwire in bulk, too, so you can buy 1 gross at a time.
20 February:Tons of off-color anodized rings added to the sale page.
19 February: Holy cow, the Lindstrom pliers are back in stock! Woo-hoo! I only have a limited amount and therefore have more on backorder. Hopefully the manufacturer will be all caught up soon and we'll be able to maintain our normal inventory stock levels.
We also found a bit more of that B21/B20 sterling silver mix and have added it back to the sale page.
13 February: Added a jewelry brass kit for the Celtic Visions bracelet.
15 January: Cut prices a bit on the discontinued yellow brass rings on the Sale Page.
2007
19 December: Yes, it's been posted: Captive Zen bracelet kit in aluminum, jewelry brass, copper and sterling silver. Enjoy! We also did some troubleshooting on the shopping cart and seem to have fixed the bug that wouldn't allow customers to combine findings with loose rings in the same order. If you still have trouble, please let us know.
6 December: Our final seasonal kit (well, for this year!): the sterling silver snowflake pendant.
Update: Oops! The problems with the instructions for this pattern are too numerous for Rebeca's perfectionistic tendencies. They will need to be re photographed, so sadly the instructions won't be avaible any time soon. To make up for the tease, we promise to post Captive Zen instructions and kits as soon as possible (most likely by December 14th). So sorry for any inconvenience!
23 November:Some O16 silver rings added to the Sale Page.
20 November: Lots more toggles available on the findings page along with new lobster claws in copper, gold-finish and gunmetal.
07 November: The 2nd holiday instructions Wrapped Ornament are now available. Stay tuned for the final pattern: Sterling Silver Winter Pendant.
01 November: Added the first of 3 holiday instructions, the Holiday Ornament: Christmas Tree.
31 October: A ton of rings added to the Sale Page. Also, one new silver size: L17, roughly the same as an L18 base metal ring, so it's got lots of uses, but we're making some samples just to confirm that certain weaves work.
25 October: Two new silver sizes: P16 (used in Rebeca's new Hodo weave) and S14 (perfect with J14 for a large Helm Chain).
17 October: Added a kit for a Stainless Steel Sleek Cuff.
11 October: Several new findings, including some new base metal toggles, a couple of multi-strand slide clasps, and pendant bails.
08 October: All 16g, 18g and 20g brass is now Jewelry Brass (also known as New Gold). A few things to keep in mind:
- This alloy of brass is more subtle than the yellow brass previously available. It will tarnish, and can be cleaned with brass cleaner, or with the lemon juice & salt method used for copper.
- 22g Brass is still the yellow Brass. We're looking to transition to jewelry brass as soon as we can, but it may be a month or so.
- Orders with Jewery Brass (JBRS) may take one or two days longer to ship while we make the transition; thanks for your patience!
- Prices for JBRS are the same as our old yellow brass (BRSS).
- Over the next few weeks & months, we'll be updating the FAQ, and stats section to reflect the new brass instead of the old brass. In the meantime, though, if you have a burning question about jewelry brass, please let us know.
- What we have left of the discontinued yellow brass will show up on the sale page within a few weeks.
- If you are a fan of the yellow brass and would like us to add it back to our regular inventory, please let us know. Also let us know if there are specific sizes you're interested in. If there's enough demand, we may bring back at least some of the popular sizes in yellow brass.
05 October: Two new anodized colors: D20 orange and D20 brown. Also have a few other colors back in stock (such as P16 and H18 black) that were out of stock for a few weeks. Enjoy!
11 September: You can now purchase the Fall 2007 issues of Step by Step Wire Jewelry Magazine as well as earring kits to go along with Rebeca's project in this issue.
05 September: Added a new kit for the popular Dodecahedron (Japanese Ball) Pendant.
27 August: More hodgepodge and off-color anodized rings added to the Sale Page.
9 August: Added instructions and kits for the Celtic Visions Star Pendant.
31 July: A new mix added to the anodized rings section. The Berry mix includes blue, turquoise, violet, purple and pink rings. Looks good enough to eat...but please don't! *grin* Also added two new silver toggles: Textured Sterling Toggle and Bali Silver Handlebar Toggle.
24 July: A new kit: Sterling Silver Crescent Earrings.
05 July: The studio was cleaned over the holiday, so we've got a ton of hodgepodge rings on the Sale Page. :-) We also found other random rings and beads that were long forgotten, so once we get those organized, they'll be added to the sale page, too.
01 July: A few changes:
Sterling Rings — When Rebeca first started selling rings, it made sense to offer large packs of sterling rings (just like base metal) with increasing discounts. Over the years, though, the price of silver has gone up so much, that it no longer makes as much sense. So, on our new sterling page we've eliminated the packs of 500 and 1,000, and passed on the discounts to the smaller packs. This means packs of 50 and 100 cost less than they used to, and there's a slightly higher discount on the pack of 250. You can still purchase sterling rings individually, too. We have two new sizes: I15 (great for 2-connector byzantine) and D18 (perfect for clasp points).
Base Metal — Updated prices. Some of the rings (especially the smaller 18g aluminum rings) went down in price; others went up slightly. Stainless steel saw the biggest increase. With the new prices, all 20g rings are priced the same (for each metal type); there are 3 price levels at 18g, and 2 price levels at 16g. At some point soon, we'll create a handy PDF price list so you can see all prices at a glance.
Anodized — Updated prices and added a new F20 size. The discount structure is a bit different. Smaller packs went up in price, but the 1,000-pack is closer to 45% off the base price (instead of 40% off).
29 June: During the next few weeks, we've got a few changes and several new items to post to the supplies section. This first batch of updates includes new kits: Sleek Cuff and Practice Rings for Spider's DVD Vol II. Also new is a starter piece for those masocists wishing to give Jens Pind 5 a shot. Prices for some kits have gone up, and the instructions have also increased (PDFs are $5.50 and hard copies are $7.50). A new freebie instruction, Shaggy Loops, is now available for download.
18 June: A ton of off-color, hodgepodge and other rings added to the Sale Page. Also note that there are new base metal sizes stocked, including G18, E20, E18 and P18.
14 June: The jewelry brass rings we promised in the newsletter will be available later in the summer. (These rings are sometimes also called new gold.) We'll be clearing out the current stock of brass over the next few weeks to make room for the new brass. In the meantime, though, if you desperately must have jewelry brass for a project, just let us know and we'll see if we've had that size made already. (We're starting with the 20g next week and will have 18 and 16g a few weeks after that. The 22g will take a bit longer.)
15 May: Our wholesale program is now officially up and running. If you order more than 10,000 rings at a time, take advantage of extra savings!
11 May: It's about 12:45 CST and we're doing our last Post Office run for the week. Any orders processed after this time will ship at new rates, coinciding with the U.S. Postal Services increase that takes effect on Monday May 14th. Domestic shipping is now $6.25 for orders under $75. For orders $75 and up, shipping is complimentary.
9 May: One more new base metal size available in copper and aluminum: E20. Brass, bronze and steel in this size should be stocked by mid June.
3 May: Lots of new base metal sizes: C20, E18, G20, G18, O18 and P18. For now, we only have aluminum and copper (and sometimes steel), but we'll be adding the brass and bronze rings by next month. Also, the B22 and B20 stainless are now saw-cut instead of hand-cut.
17 April: More off-color and hodgepodge rings added to the Sale Page, along with some D20 anodized aluminum packs.
13 April: Woo-hoo! The anodized rings are available to be purchased with the shopping cart system. I'm going to clean up the page at some point, but for now, I at least wanted to get the shopping cart buttons posted. There may be problems in Internet Explorer; if something goofy happens while you use IE, please let me know so I can get my web guy to fix any bugs. Also before I revise the page, I'd like your general feedback. Is anything confusing? What's easy to use and what isn't? I welcome any and all suggestions.
Note that the mix 'n' match options have changed. Only packs of 500 and 1,000 can be mixed 'n' matched, in batches of 250 (so you can choose up to 2 colors for a pack of 500 and up to 4 colors for a pack of 1,000). You can also combine different sizes of the same gauge to get the price breaks. For example, F18 x 500 green + H18 x 250 gold + L18 x 250 purple = 1,000 rings at the $21 price.
30 March: Added a PDF Base Metal Sample Sheet to various pages within the Base Metal section and also to the Jump Ring Sizes article in the FAQ section.
29 March: More off-color and hodgepodge rings added to the Sale Page (as of April 2, they're all sold out).
20 March: Added a new kit for the Cube.
28 February: A new bracelet kit, the Mini Lace, as well as the long-awaited base metal Practice Kit to accompany Spider's DVD.
20 February: Added a variety of items, from tools to gift bags—and of course rings—to the Sale page..
19 February: You may have noticed that anodized aluminum mixes are now available in sizes other than H18. So far, we've put together a few packs of L16 and F18 mixes, and we'll gradually add the rest of the mixes to all sizes except for D20 (only the Everything mix will be available in D20).
15 February: Three new base metal sizes: I18, K18 and N18. Rebeca's favorite uses (so far!) for each: I18 for Japanese Wave bracelets, with additional F18s and L18s in the outer rows and D20 connectors; K18 with F20 for dragonscale, and N18 for European 8-in-1 or N18 with H18AA for dragonscale. We'll add more uses and measurement information in the future. You might also notice that can't purchase single rings in these sizes. We're phasing that option out of the base metal section, but you'll still be able to purchase individual sterling rings.
23 January: Our favorite containers for storing, organizing and transporting rings—Craft Mates Bead Caddies—are now available for you to purchase in a variety of sizes. You can even purchase a Black Canvas Tote that includes five caddies and plenty of space for other supplies and tools.
18 January: Adjusted some of the base metal prices slightly: D20, H16, J16, L16, and P16. Now packs of all 16g rings (of the same metal type) will cost the same from sizes H through P. Also updated some of the anodized rings so F18, H18 and L18 are priced at the same rate, as are L16 and P16. This means that the prices for some of those rings went down slightly, while others went up slightly (when I say slightly, I do mean slightly...about $2 per 1,000).
9 January: Two new colors of anodized rings: P16 turquoise and L16 dark purple.
5 January: Raised the silver prices a bit, and adjusted some of the prices for Kits, too. Also, the price for PDF instructions is still the same, but the full-color hard copies (in 3-hole punched sheet protectors) will now cost a little bit more.
2006
18 December: A few new items added to the Sale Page—off-color anodized aluminum jump rings and "hodgepodge" rings (which are basically all the random rings I drop and later find around the workshop!).
14 December: Color swatches for the anodized rings! Better photos of some of the harder-to-capture colors (turquoise and violet, especially) will be posted at some point. In the meantime, these images should give you a very close idea of the available colors.
6 December: Several new colors of anodized rings available: D20 pink, L18 orange and F18 brown. We also raised the prices for the D20 anodized rings ever-so-slightly.
27 November: New book now available: Handcrafting Bead and Chain Jewelry by Scott David Plumlee.
1 November: Added about 2,000 sterling silver rings (18g 4.5mm) to the Sale page. Also, some new sizes and colors of anodized rings are available—D20 gold, F18 turquoise and H18 pink.
22 October: By popular request, kits and instructions are now available for the Maru Bracelet. Also, a few additions to the Sale page: An assortment of machine-cut jump rings (regular aluminum, stainless steel, titanium and acid-etched aluminum) and jump ring tools.
18 October: Added a few new products to the Tools Section - three sizes of Bead Mats, two sizes of Polishing Cloths, Anti-Tarnish Tabs (like the ones I include with sterling and copper jump rings) and two sizes of Stackable Storage Jars.
21 September: Added the Findings Page with earwires and clasps to finish your chainmaille and other jewelry pieces. Over time, more clasps and findings will be added. If there's something you'd like us to carry sooner rather than later, please let us know. We've also started a base metal ring counts page. Right now it only has two weaves, but over the next few months, we'll work on adding lots of other weaves.
20 September: Added about 28,000 hand-cut bright aluminum rings to the Sale Page. Inexpensive, clean rings great for learning and practicing new weaves.
13 September: The new Ultra Ergo pliers are here! Very comfortable and affordable.
30 August: It's been almost 8 months since we raised our silver prices, and silver's value has increased about 33% during that time (and nearly doubled in the past year). We held out for as long as we could, but finally had to increase prices. (If you are interested, Kitco has real time Silver Market Updates and online reports about precious metals, including a 1- and 5-year chart of silver's price.)
17August: Added the Art of Chainmail instructional book by Dylon Whyte.
16 August: New Tools! Comfortable ergonomic starter pliers, plus ergonomic Swanstrom pliers, a Jump Ring Tool and digital calipers.
13 May: Added some 20g and 18g hand-cut steel rings to the Sale Page. Also added ring counts for European 8-in-1.
11 May: The Chain Mail Jewelry Book is now available! We're also selling kits for Rebeca's bracelet project—Möbiused Rosettes—featured in the book.
Also added a create-your-own-colors kit for the Japanese Lace bracelet.
4 May: Added ring counts for European 6-in-1 on the sterling silver ring counts page.
3 May: We don't have the anodized rings set up with the shopping cart system yet, but we wanted to post available colors and prices for anodized aluminum since several people have asked about these in the last few weeks. You don't need to buy 1,000 rings of the same color; you can mix and match packs of 50 and still take advantage of higher price breaks (discounts are the same as the base metal rings).
24 April: The long-awaited Kits and Instructions section is here! Three kits and instructions currently for sale, plus two tutorials for free download. We'll be adding more kits shortly, and adding photos for the Tips section.
19 April: Ring counts for Open Round and Jens Pind on the sterling silver ring counts page.
13 April: New ring counts for roundmaille and Turkish Round on the sterling silver ring counts page.
5 April: Added ring counts for Full Persian (Foxtail), Double Spiral, Wiggle (Mobius), Half Persian 3-in-1 and Half Persian 4-in-1 to the new sterling silver ring counts page. Still working out html bugs, so if something looks funny on your browser, let us know.
1 April: Two new metals in J16: Aluminum and Stainless Steel. Great for a thick and weighty 2-connector byzantine. Also bumped up the prices for L16 stainless just a tad.
And a sneak preview of the new ring counts page (for sterling silver). Still working out some html bugs, but the page should be up and running pretty soon. We'll be adding a few weaves each month. Right now there are only counts for Box, Byzantine, and European 4-in-1. If there's a weave you'd like to see listed sooner than others, let us know and we'll do our best.
16 February: The Tools section is up and running. We'll be adding more tools over the next few months, but we've got the most popular ones all packaged and ready to go!
Almost ready to begin selling three kits (Japanese Lace, Bulls-Eye earrings, and Celtic Visions). Just working out some technical kinks with the PDF files. Stay tuned...
9 January: Updated domestic shipping & handling fees to reflect the US Post Office's increase. S&H is still free for orders $65 and over. Orders less than that will cost $5.50 to ship via US Priority Mail.
6 January: Major overhaul to the Supplies section:
- Added a shopping cart for the sterling rings, and a few new sizes.
- Added several new base metal ring sizes.
- Created stats/uses pages for the base metal and sterling rings.
- Moved the pages on Aspect Ratio and Ring Sizes to the FAQ page.
- Adjusted the prices a bit. Sterling prices have increased (icky, we know, but the market just keeps getting higher and higher), but in good news, many of the base metal prices have dropped. I changed the pricing structure a bit, so you don't save as much for buying 1,000 rings (40% instead of 50%), but the prices for packs of 50, 100 and 250 rings have gone done quite a bit. Many of the prices for 500 and 1,000 also went down; the few that increased only went up by a buck or two.
- Shipping is now free for domestic orders $65 and up. Items ship Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation so you can track your order online. Shipping for orders $64.99 and under is $5. International shipping depends on the destination country and value of items shipped.
- As you can tell from the new Supplies page, we're hard at work expanding supplies. The first round of Kits and Instructions should be available in a few months!
We hope the new layout is easy to use, but if you have trouble finding anything, just let us know and we'll do our best to help.