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JEWELRY CHARMS
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Brass charms and
stampings are the main stay of fashion jewelry. They come in every imaginable shape
and design. Brass is the metal of choice for making most decorative charms for a number of
reasons. It is not a precious metal so the cost of each piece can be kept down. In
addition it is quite malleable and takes well to intricate designs. A charm made in brass
looks nice enough to use raw but many types of finishes are also available to the
artist, craftsman and designer (learn more about finishes) . In
the jewelry industry charms are called stampings because they a literally stamped
out of flat sheets of brass. A large press is used that creates thousands of pounds of
force and literally mashes the brass sheet into or over a hardened steel form that has the
design on it. Depending on the design there may be several steps on each piece. Brass is
not the only metal that can be stamped. The same forms can be used for other metals. The
two most popular are Steel and Silver. Steel is cheaper but has the very bad quality of
rusting or corroding if not plated. You might find steel stampings in low end
costume jewelry. Silver is also available and a good choice but is not held as a stocked
item because of its cost and market price fluctuation. If you see an item in brass that
you might want in silver please feel free to ask. Be aware that there will be a minimum
order of 144pcs. Several weeks delivery time and a spot metal price on the silver.
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Although I am not sure there is an industry consensus on
it I tend to think of stampings falling into several categories. Settings
for stones and cameos, Filigrees (open weave or lace
style) Ornamental Drops and the novelty charms like animals, zodiac signs, garden tools, cowboy
hats, etc.. |
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| The potential use of stampings is virtually
unlimited. They are used in all sorts of jewelry everything from shoe charms to the
wildest designer pieces, but in addition they can be used to do things like decorate
picture frames and mirrors, stick them on boxes, imbed them in candles, decorate glass,
I've seem them in paperweights, used in garden ornaments and matted on velvet and framed
as miniature art. All you need is your imagination. To see our stock
click on one of the links on the left or visit the on-line
catalog. |
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