Tag Archives: jewelry

B&S Gauge Thicknesses, Saw Blades, and Drill Bits

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Another handy chart for jewelry makers.

The other day, I published a chart of Minimum Metal Gauges for making jewelry. I’d made the chart for my own use, based on information I got from the Rio Grande website.

But what I’ve really wanted for a long while was a single chart that listed B&S gauge sizes, the corresponding measurements in millimeters and inches, and the correct jeweler’s saw blade and drill bit sizes for each gauge. For some reason, I could not find all of this information on one chart anywhere.

So I made one by combining information from the Contenti and Livingston Jewelers websites. Here’s the result:

Thicknesses, blades, and bits
This is the chart I’ve been looking for! In the end, I had to make it myself from multiple sources of information.

You can download this chart as a PDF from my public Dropbox folder.

Keep in mind that although I do have a set of jeweler’s drill bits, I don’t use them. Instead, I have a set of bits in various fractional mm sizes — I pick the drill bit I need from that set because I can get a much closer drill bit size for my needs.

Minimum Metal Gauges

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A handy chart for choosing metals for jewelry making.

My “day job” may be flying helicopters, but I moonlight as a jewelry artist. I’m constantly looking for reference materials to help me choose the right tools and materials for making jewelry. I find charts extremely handy since I can print them out and attach them to a wall beside my jewelry making bench in my shop. No need to rely on my memory since the chart is right there.

I stumbled upon one on the Rio Grande website recently. It was almost what I needed. I modified it to add information I needed and remove metals I don’t work with. (I only work with sterling, Argentium, and Fine silver and copper.) Here’s the result:

Recommended Metal Gauges
Table of metal gauges. “NR” means not recommended.

You can download a copy in PDF format from my public Dropbox.

If you find posts about jewelry making interesting, please take a moment to leave a comment and let me know. Thanks!

The Gallery Exhibit

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I submit 10 pieces of jewelry to a gallery’s “Gems and Geology Holiday Gift Show.”

I’ve come a long way since I started making jewelry — mostly wire-framed pendants — with rocks. Over time, I’ve stepped up my game by taking classes and trying new techniques. The results are promising. And encouraging.

My friend Cyndi told me about a special exhibit at a gallery we both sell our work at. (Cyndi makes metal art; you can find it on Etsy.) The theme was Gems and Geology, which is pretty much what my jewelry is all about. Although I’d missed the first deadline — intent to submit with digital samples — I wrote to them anyway. I got an enthusiastic response:

We’d love to have your work in our show! … This is just the type of work we were hoping for! I am so glad you reached out.

Whew!

I got to work making pieces that I thought would be appropriate for a real gallery show. I already knew that this particular gallery did not like my wire work, mostly because it simply doesn’t sell there. (Oddly, it sells remarkably well at another gallery in Ellensburg; go figure.) That meant prong and bezel settings, which I was just starting to get comfortable doing.

I made the mistake early on of sharing a photo of one of my pieces on Twitter. Someone wanted to buy it. While I love selling jewelry, I was really hoping to send that one to the gallery. Still, I had plenty of time to make a replacement and I did.

I finished making the 10 pieces two days ago. I spent this morning photographing them for publicity materials. I figured I may as well share the photos here, too.

Labradorite Pendant
Labradorite bezel and prong set on textured, reclaimed silver. Black leather cord with sterling clasp. (Learn more about my reclaimed silver in this blog post.)

Kona Dolomite Pendant
Kona Dolomite prong set on polished Argentium silver. Sterling silver chain. (This was not made specifically for the show but meets the requirements.)

Crazy Lace Agate
Crazy Lace Agate bezel and prong set on textured Argentium silver. Black leather cord with sterling clasp. (This was not made specifically for the show but meets the requirements.)

Azurite and Malachite Pendant
Azurite and Malachite bezel set on textured reclaimed silver. Sterling silver chain.

Brazilian Agate Pendant
Brazilian Agate prong set on textured reclaimed silver. Sterling silver chain.

Montana Moss Agate Pendant
Montana Moss Agate prong set on a textured sterling silver frame. Sterling silver chain.

Turquoise Pendant
Two genuine turquoise cabochons prong set on textured and hinged copper. Black silk cord with hand-formed copper clasp. (This was not made specifically for the show but meets the requirements.)

Kingman Turquoise with Spiny Oyster Shell Pendant
Kingman Turquoise and Orange Spiny Oyster Shell with bronze prong set in textured sterling silver. Sterling silver chain. (This was not made specifically for the show but meets the requirements.)

African Queen Jasper Set
African Queen Jasper bezel set in copper for earrings and a pendant. Black leather cord with sterling silver clasp for pendant; hypo-allergenic niobium ear wires for earrings. This is my current “masterpiece.”

Malachite Set
Malachite prong set on textured reclaimed silver with malachite bead earrings. Sterling silver chain; sterling silver ear wires.

Keep in mind that none of these are currently available for sale. If you want them, you’ll need to go to Confluence Gallery in Twisp, WA between November 28 and January 9. (Twisp is actually a great destination in the winter, especially for cross-country skiing. The Methow Valley has hundreds of miles of well-groomed cross-country skiing and snowshoeing trails and was my Christmas destination before I started going south for the winter.)

If you like what you see here, you’ll probably like some of the jewelry in my Etsy store. Go check it out!