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Milomade
07-07-2009, 01:35 PM
Is it cheaper to buy jump rings in bulk or make your own from silver wire?

wendy
07-07-2009, 09:55 PM
Buy them - life's too short! :-) :-)

AlexandraBuckle
08-07-2009, 07:54 AM
I buy mine too, it might be cheaper to make your own, but I'd rather save the time personally!

The Bijou Dragon
08-07-2009, 11:46 AM
We costed it up this morning and oddly, it's cheaper to buy them ready made:confused:

Milomade
08-07-2009, 12:20 PM
wow - thanks for the input - will order some this week. do you buy them closed or open or a mix of the two. i'm thinking a mix of the two is probably best.

The Bijou Dragon
08-07-2009, 02:37 PM
I buy them open myself then I have the choice to solder them closed (when I buy my new kit) or use them open. Personally I find closed ones infuriating as the ones I have bought in the past have never found a use and are probably still here in my attic somewhere!

I should just clarify that I am talking about Sterling jump rings though... I'm not sure about any other kinds of wire.

Remember though when you make them yourself you still have to cost in your time unless you want to work for free... it's something alot of people seem to forget when they say making jump rings is cheap! :)

Milomade
09-07-2009, 10:17 AM
I'm looking at jump rings on the cooksongold site and I'm confused. What's the difference between "Silver Jump Ring Light" and"Silver Jump Ring Heavy" and where it says 4mm or 5mm is that the diameter of the jump ring?
I've just entered 14g of heavy 6mm and also 14g of light 6mm and the heavy works out cheaper. What is the difference?

The Bijou Dragon
09-07-2009, 10:31 AM
I'm looking at jump rings on the cooksongold site and I'm confused. What's the difference between "Silver Jump Ring Light" and"Silver Jump Ring Heavy" and where it says 4mm or 5mm is that the diameter of the jump ring?
I've just entered 14g of heavy 6mm and also 14g of light 6mm and the heavy works out cheaper. What is the difference?

I think (from memory) the heavy jump rings are 1mm thick wire and the light are .8mm wire.

Yep the 4mm and 5mm is the external diameter

The price will depend heavily on Cooksons sources, if the heavy is cheaper for them to buy than the light then the heavy will be cheaper on their website... if you see what I mean :)

I have to say though, Cooksons seems to have an overload of info about things which is on one hand great but on the other is really, really confusing sometimes especially if you are a newbie. I'm not a newbie and even I struggle sometimes trying to work out what something is by their descriptions and specifications. Then sometimes some things don't contain enough info and you're left equally confused. Having said that though their products and rage are excellent and I've almost stopped shopping anywhere else because they are so good!

Dano
09-07-2009, 01:44 PM
i make my own from wire, but i do weird chains and they need really really specific sizes/wire thicknesses to get the aspect ratio right, also i got a machine for doing it because saw cutting is a pain and a half. the 5mm heavy/light measurement that cookson do is pretty much useless for complicated chain weaves.

that said i do have a bag of theirs on hand for stuff that DOESN'T need to be overly specific because as wendy says, life's too short.

Sheltie
09-07-2009, 09:19 PM
i make my own from wire, but i do weird chains and they need really really specific sizes/wire thicknesses to get the aspect ratio right, also i got a machine for doing it because saw cutting is a pain and a half. the 5mm heavy/light measurement that cookson do is pretty much useless for complicated chain weaves.

that said i do have a bag of theirs on hand for stuff that DOESN'T need to be overly specific because as wendy says, life's too short.

To be honest I make my own for the same reasons, I keep meaning sometime to source these unusual sized jump rings to save me time, although my sawing has got quicker:)

Dano
14-07-2009, 03:01 PM
To be honest I make my own for the same reasons, I keep meaning sometime to source these unusual sized jump rings to save me time, although my sawing has got quicker:)

the reason i got the jump ring cutting machine is because i couldn't find anyone in the UK who would actually sell jumprings by wire gauge/internal diameter, it's all stuff like the "6mm heavy" i mentioned earlier. there's places in the US like bluebuddha and spiderchain but who needs the hassle of importing?

i should probably start selling them myself =D

SilverByRosie
14-07-2009, 06:09 PM
There are a couple of places in the UK that do more specific jump ring sizes.

www (dot) thedragonflycompany (dot) com & beadsisters (dot) co (dot) uk

I haven't ordered any myself though so I can't vouch for their quality.

Dragonfly have a lot wider range than Beadsisters, but the last time I calculated price comparisons it worked out cheaper to import them from The Ring Lord in Canada, even including the shipping costs!

I usually make my own rings if I want silver or copper, but if I was going to do a really big project I'd buy them.

Ominicci
16-07-2009, 06:34 PM
I have used dragonfly recently too as they specify the Internal Diameter (ID) size. Which is what you want if you are making chain mail weaves as that's what the patterns specify.

Do you have to pay customs duty if importing rings from Canada Rosie?

I have got a jump ring maker, but it doesn't include a cutter, so use it for small quantities. I always use a saw to cut them as the edges are neater than with pliers which is very important if you are going to solder them.

SilverByRosie
16-07-2009, 08:52 PM
You only pay customs charges if the value of what you are importing is over a certain amount, but the Revenue & Customs website doesn't tell you what that limit is!

I've managed to order about £20 worth of stuff from Canada and not get charged, but I did get charged when I made a much larger order (greater than £100). I'm not sure where the cutoff point is.

I also saw cut my rings because the edges fit together better.

~Rosie

mizgeorge
28-07-2009, 07:13 AM
The limit for VAT/Duty is £18. If your good are worth over that (at the day's exchange rate) they are liable, and the total amount, including postage, will be liable for the charge, plus the exorbitant fee the Royal Mail/Parcelforce/courier company charges for you to take your money.

I also cut all my own rings, though I can understand that those who don't have a cutting system or hate sawing could find it tedious!

I'm not sure how it could ever be cheaper to buy in than to make them though. Unless that calculation was made using a very poor price break for the silver.

SilverByRosie
03-08-2009, 07:59 PM
I found it would be cheaper for me because I don't have a ring cutting system, and I'm not particularly quick at saw cutting rings :">

In terms of the money I have to pay out, yes it's cheaper to make them. But in terms of how much I then charge for the piece, I have to charge more if I make them myself than if I bought them.