Make a Hinge Bracelet with Blue Lace Agate: A Silversmithing Tutorial

This tutorial shows how to make a link bracelet with multiple cabochons and hinges. The Stones are Blue Lace Agate Cabochons about 13 x 18 mm. For materials, I used 14 (1.6 mm) sterling round wire, 14 gauge (1.6 mm) sterling square wire, 22 gauge (.66 mm) sterling sheet, and 3/16 inch (4.76 mm) fine silver bezel in 26 gauge (.41 mm). As always, I use hard silver sheet solder and a liquid flux. If you see me make a piece of jewelry you'd like to purchase, contact me through my website.
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How to make link chain with hinges
homemade blue lace link bracelet
making a one of a kind bracelet
Making Silver Jewelry
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[@indravinapura6165]

I watch because i want to learn. But i must say you have a very soothing voice, so i can totally understand that people find your video's deeply relaxing 😊 Thank you for all!

[@chadssilversmithing]

Aww, thanks:). What a nice thing to say Indravina!

[@flyingcheff]

Wow! Ambitious project (time wise)! I really like the hinge design choice, Chad. Really cool! 🌺

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thank you Flying Chef! You are too kind:)

[@jdiamond9513]

I really like this project. I think I’ll make one sometime with turquoise cabochons. I can see it would be really difficult to figure out how to make a specific size though. A soldering tip for bezels that I learned online from someone else (I don’t recall who) is to heat some solder pallions into little balls, then place the balls against the inside of the bezel. The round shape gives better contact to both the bezel and backplate, ensuring you get a good flow. You also don’t end up with those little square shadows on the inside, not that they are going to be seen when done anyways.

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thanks Jdiamond! It might be hard to get an exact size, but you could probably alter the size of all the bases slightly to change the size slightly:)

[@flyingcheff]

Hi! Reading comments so I can learn; Jdiamond, what do you mean by difficult to figure out making a specific size? Do you mean cutting cabochons? Or making uniform size bezels? You are right about the balled up solder pallions. They allow cleaner joins. However, balling up solder before joint connection flow raises its flow temperature which can act to eliminate the temperature difference from one to another (Hard to medium to soft/easy). Heating the solder to melt into a ball burns off a portion of the alloy that gives the solder its temperature rating. When it's reheated and flow reached at the join, it has become a higher temperature solder. Sometimes that mechanism is needed or desired. I always place solder inside a bezel so as to facilitate clean work. Also, using the least amount of solder is key. One small pallion is more than enough for a bezel on a backplate for a cab the size of Chad's in this project. Good points you make! I hope your turquoise link bracelet turns out beautifully! 🌺

[@jdiamond9513]

@@flyingcheff Hi. I was referring to trying to determine the size and number of the links to get a specific size bracelet. It helps if you have calibrated cabs like Chad did, but there’s still some math involved, taking into consideration the space between the links and size of your cabs. Good point about the solder balls, I hadn’t considered that. Honestly, I haven’t tried it yet myself, but it seemed like I good idea until you brought up the reheating temperatures. Although you’re kind of doing that when you pick solder. I wonder if bending a pallion into a 90 degree angle would work? 🤔 Probably way overthinking it 😂

[@pugsaway746]

Beautiful 😍

[@chadssilversmithing]

Thanks Pugsaway! You're awesome:)

[@annjessup1670]

I wonder how tabs would work for hinges instead of the strips