Disaster! What am I doing wrong

[Petal]

I've promised a customer that I will do a chaos wrap of her small briolette earrings she gave me. I had a few practice goes with some other glass beads to try and perfect the technique (pics encl.) and thought I'd done it ok. Then disaster struck. I've broken the briolette :'( I feel bloody awful, as its the first thing I've ever broken. Here's a pic of the broken one, bottom left and the other ones that I've already done. I wrapped it by keeping my round nose pliers in the loop at the top and continue wrapping round to the bottom and then back up to the top.

625

Am I doing this completely wrong, does this way of wrapping put the piece of wire going through the briolette under too much pressure, or was I just unlucky with the briolette??

:o

Any honest helpful hints/tips would be greatly appreciated guys, as I've bought lots more of these to make up before Saturday. :'(

[Di Sandland]

Oh bugger Jules. To be honest, I can't see any other way to wrap - whether its chaos wrapping or not! I think there may have been a fault line where the bead was drilled. George or somebody might be more useful to you in the advice stakes.

All I want to say is that I think the rest look beautiful. (and you know I am scrupulously honest in these things!)

[Petal]

Aw thanks for the compliments Di. I was absolutely devastated when I heard it brake and there was a lot of swearing going on, I can tell you. God knows what the women will say when I tell her... I don't think they were expensive, but that's not the point...

oops gotta go. back later on....

[geti-titanium]

OOOOh!! that's one of the worst feelings in the world - damaging a piece that someone has given you to work with. I had to laser engrave a gold locket that a customer sent in when I first had my machine. Without realising just how thin the sucker was I blasted straight through it! Personally I thought the 'stencil' effect looked quite funky - but I was the only one that thought that for some reason :)

[geti-titanium]

Can you not glue the briolette and then chaos wrap over the damage? I know it's not ideal but the customer will be none the wiser.

Jason please - where are your morals? :)

[mizgeorge]

Jules - you're not doing anything wrong. Some beads just break :( I've had the same thing happen to me, and I have to confess that one one occasion I did just as Jason suggests. Set your wire in place, glue (this is one of the rare times when superglue works just fine), include the broken off piece if it's intact, and hide it all with the wrap once it's set.

Looking at the picture, I'd say they were only glass to start with, so your option is to be completely up front with the customer and explain that one broke. I'm sure she'll understand.

[Petal]

Jules - you're not doing anything wrong. Some beads just break :( I've had the same thing happen to me, and I have to confess that one one occasion I did just as Jason suggests. Set your wire in place, glue (this is one of the rare times when superglue works just fine), include the broken off piece if it's intact, and hide it all with the wrap once it's set.

Looking at the picture, I'd say they were only glass to start with, so your option is to be completely up front with the customer and explain that one broke. I'm sure she'll understand.

Many thanks for your replies guys. :Y:

I'm so glad I haven't got my technique wrong, as that would have been an expensive mistake to make. I've glued it and will see what it looks like in the morning, but will probably go with the honesty option in the end. I'd much rather do that, than lie.... anyone know where I can get some peridot swaro briolettes :-D

xx

[Tigerlily]

Hi Jules,

Fingers crossed the glue works :xmas;_): I work a lot with swarovski, and find that sometimes this happens to me, just think its one of those things, as Di said it could have just had a fault line through the loop. I have overtightened wire through the loop in the past and have completely shattered the hole #-o

Have just had a look for through my bead boxes for you, but unfortunately I don't have one in Peridot :( sorry.

Mich xxx

[Petal]

Have just had a look for through my bead boxes for you, but unfortunately I don't have one in Peridot :( sorry.

Mich xxx

Aw Thanks for looking for me Tigerlily #-o . I ordered loads, but peridot was the one colour that my normal supplier doesn't have. I've looked elsewhere, but all I can find is the real peridot. I might have to offer her some topaz instead.

thanks very much tho.

xx

[snow_imp]

I've had the shattering bead issue when working with wire too - last time it happened was on a piece of amber. I wasn't happy.

[Jayne]

Ah, what a pain for you Jules! :(
I think George is right - it's best to be upfront and even better if you have a replacement to offer her as well.
Don't know if this is of any use:

SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL BRIOLETTE 6010 11x5.5mm 2pcs PERIDOT on eBay (end time 23-Nov-09 08:15:00 GMT) (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SWAROVSKI-CRYSTAL-BRIOLETTE-6010-11x5-5mm-2pcs-PERIDOT_W0QQitemZ390061975267QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK _Crafts_Beads_CA?hash=item5ad18166e3)

J x

[Petal]

Ah, what a pain for you Jules! :(
I think George is right - it's best to be upfront and even better if you have a replacement to offer her as well.
Don't know if this is of any use:

SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL BRIOLETTE 6010 11x5.5mm 2pcs PERIDOT on eBay (end time 23-Nov-09 08:15:00 GMT) (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SWAROVSKI-CRYSTAL-BRIOLETTE-6010-11x5-5mm-2pcs-PERIDOT_W0QQitemZ390061975267QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK _Crafts_Beads_CA?hash=item5ad18166e3)

J x

I've just looked at the earring again and OMG it wasn't peridot I needed, it was Citrine! Thanks for looking guys. []

I think its time for a glass of wine!

xx

[MuranoSilver]

Yep it's just the way of it - sometimes these things happen....
The rest look lovely though :)
Nicx

[kymbi]

Yep it's just the way of it - sometimes these things happen....


...and I've just done it with some smoky quartz briolettes! The hole was drilled too close to the point at the top. The worse stones I've ever wrapped were briolettes of fire opal - really brittle, really fragile, really, really broken #-o

[Petal]

Jules - you're not doing anything wrong. Some beads just break :( I've had the same thing happen to me, and I have to confess that one one occasion I did just as Jason suggests. Set your wire in place, glue (this is one of the rare times when superglue works just fine), include the broken off piece if it's intact, and hide it all with the wrap once it's set.

Looking at the picture, I'd say they were only glass to start with, so your option is to be completely up front with the customer and explain that one broke. I'm sure she'll understand.


Well guys, I glued my piece of wire in place last night and set the bead on a bit of blu-tac and it worked! Thanks to all for your encouragement and words of wisdom.

I feel such an idiot today, though, because I used a piece of old wire that had been hanging around in my drawer and in the daylight today, have realised its the wrong sodding colour :o Its copper. I'll redo the other one to match and ask if she is allergic to copper, but will offer her another pair in Topaz in case her original pair breaks again. Its very useful to know how to repair things, rather than just chucking things away :Y:

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So guys, learn from my mistake and don't keep your 'old' wire banging about in a drawer and also make sure you do repairs in daylight #-o

Silly bugger!

x

[kymbi]

I'm glad you managed to rescue the situation Jules :X

[Mystic]

it looks good as new Jules, you wouldn't know the difference, but like you I think I would tell her and give her the others as a peace offering:snow:
Iv'e had the same sort of feeling, but it was with a worktop my OH and I were fitting for a customer, just as we were putting it in place, a bit pinged off:(| I can tell you the air was blue, but like you we managed to solve the situation:)

[Petal]

Well guys, I glued my piece of wire in place last night and set the bead on a bit of blu-tac and it worked!

I feel such an idiot today, though, because I used a piece of old wire that had been hanging around in my drawer and in the daylight today, have realised its the wrong sodding colour :o Its copper.

x

An update here guys, I took the earrings to the customer who said she was happy with them as they are. #-o Well, I certainly wasn't. I only took them to show her what I'd done, along with another pair to say I was sorry about breaking one earing and to suggest I make the other one into a pendant. She is happy as they are, but I don't want to let this go.

What I'd like to know, if possible, is this. Is there a way I can unglue the glue and start again with the proper GP wire???

??

[Emerald]

What type of Glue did you use you might be able to put it in hot water and see if that works or nail polish remover x

[Petal]

What type of Glue did you use you might be able to put it in hot water and see if that works or nail polish remover x

I used GS Hypo Cement - do you think I could try the hot water or nail polish remover treatment with that then?

[Emerald]

mmmmm dont know but the hot water will not do the stone or wire i any harm so try that first

[Petal]

Thanks Jo. I'll have a go at that tomorrow and let you know how I get on.

xx

[Emerald]

on goolge it suggests isopryl alcohol which is surgical spirit,so i am thinking the nail varnish remover might work better if you havent any of that

[Petal]

ahhh, thanks for that....
off to bed, night night...

xxx