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Sterling (prices, stats, ring counts) - Base Metal (prices, stats, ring counts) - Anodized Aluminum - Anodized Niobium - Enameled Copper - Tools - Kits/Instructions - Findings - Sale
2008 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 add 18g and 16g sizes in the fall. 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:
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:
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