How strong is a 1mm x 7mm 925 Sterling Silver jump ring?

[handmadeblanks]

Hi,

Can anyone please tell me on how much weight can be suspended from a 925 sterling silver jump ring that is 1mm x 7mm?
Is there any such thing as a guide table for this kind of measurement?

Thanks in advance.

[josef1]

make one and find out ! The problem is wear when you start hanging lots of weight off something that articulates against another metal part. Silver is reasonably strong though

[Dennis]

This is an open ended question, because it also deopends on the effectiveness of your soldering and as Josef has said, on the potential for wear.

The first effect will probably be to change its shape from round to oval.

A simple way to test it is to suspend a carrier bag from it and load it with items of known weight, such as bags of flour, or sugar, or plastic bottles of water, until the ring breaks. (1L of water weighs 1Kg). Dennis.

[handmadeblanks]

Thanks @josef1 & @Dennis.

After reading your replies I think a more intelligent way I should have asked is: What is the breaking strain of 1mm Solid 925 Sterling Silver Wire?

Considering that wire is pulled through draw plates to make it thinner I'm guessing that the breaking strain is quite high, possibly a few Kg's.

I suppose the only real way to know is through practical experiment. I suppose I was hoping that someone in the industry had already conducted such tests.

[josef1]

https://www.shapeways.com/rrstatic/material_docs/mds-silver.pdf heres some information from the shapeways website have not got a clue what it all means though !!

[CJ57]

The question might be if we are speaking about its use in jewellery, what weight is a woman prepared to have around her neck or wrist :)

[Dennis]

Or just have the baby on her lap give it a good tug. Dennis

[pearlescence]

Strength will also depend whether there is any metal fatigue. Constant micro flexing causes metal fatigue and eventually metal will fail (that's why planes have a prototype stuck in a jig and wiggled for 1000s of hours)

[handmadeblanks]

Thanks for everyone's input.

Follow up question: If making a pendant with a jump ring that is to be sold without a chain, is there any standard in regard to the jump ring being left open or soldered closed?

Any reason why one is better than the other or is it just personal (i.e. The jewellery maker's) preference?

[CJ57]

The tendency is to not solder at at least one fastening end so that if it's pulled it will break there instead of doing the wearer damage. I usually make mine in a heavier hard wire that can't be opened with anything other than pliers in that case.

[Dennis]

It would be preferable to send out the jump ring unsoldered, in case the fastener of a finished chain cannot not pass through it.

A jump ring made from 0.9mm round wire using the shank of a burr as a mandrel might be about right. It will harden in the making.

As Caroline has pointed out, the chain needs to break for safety reasons, but that is out of your hands. Dennis.

[handmadeblanks]

How do you figure out what size chain to use with a pendant? Is it trial and error? How do you know if the chain will be strong enough for the weight of the pendant?

As a guide, what kind of trace chain would be suitable for a pendants weighing from 1 - 5 grams?

I'm thinking of buying this: http://www.cooksongold.com/Loose-Chain/Sterling-Silver-1420-Plain-Trace-Loose-prcode-WVT-D00

One of the comments says "Medium weight"...not sure what that means, I need numbers and grams...

Thanks again in advance for any advice!

:ta:

[china]

To be quite honest I don't get that technical if it looks good I use it