Bracelet Question?

I am thinking of creating a silver bracelet for my wife, for Christmas, and had a couple of questions I would love the find the answers to.

1 - What gauge of sterling silver should I get the engrave it on?
2 - What is the best width to make it?
3 - What is the best length to make it?
4 - How good is the GRS tool for forming the bracelet? Is there a better or less expensive solution?

I have loved the work that I have seen on this forum, and hope to draw on that knowledge. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

Thanks
Mike

I CAN SAY WITHOUT HESITATION, THE GRS bracelet former is very good. as to thickness and lemgth, # 1 that depends on the size of her wrist. and does she like small stuff or large stuff ? #2, i always make stuff too heavy. i make bracelets at least.050" thick. i prefer.062". probably most jewelers would not agree with this, however.

Hi Mike

I use 1.5mm thick (not sure what gauge that is)
150mm long x 25mm wide..........that makes a very nice solid bracelet. I would be very reluctant to go to a thinner gauge because you want the bracelet to be substantial and not flimsey.

Having said that..............be carefull. One size does not fit all with cuff bracelets. If a woman has a very thin wrist that sizing will be to big (long).............like wise, a very large wrist it will be to small. The above dimensions will fit most "average" women. The key is in the length of the bracelet.

My best advice is grap a thin bit of copper, or lightweight card, and cut one out and test it first.

The GRS bender is a great peice of kit and does the job perfectley. That's what I bend my bracelets with. However, the die that comes with it is perfect for the above sizes and "average" wrist. If you have a thin wrist you may want to buy an extra forming die so that you can file it down to bend a smaller circumference.

Cheers
Andrew

Mike,
I use 14 gauge sterling silver and have found that 6 inches in length will fit most gals. While it is possible to bend a bracelet a number of ways, I use the GRS former for the initial bend. After that is done, I bend the final shape by hand. The GRS former will produce an almost round shape. I like more of a flattened "c" so, that's what I do. You may like a different shape & that's ok too!
As for width, that's a (woman's) personal preference. That being said, I have done a number of them over the past year and the majority have been 5/8. I have done them all the way from 1/4 up to 1 1/4.

Hope that helps,
WL

Mike,

I am sure she has a favorite bracelet. Take it and measure it. Then you will know everything but the thickness. If it is sort of heavy then 18 guague silver will be perfect.

My dear wife's wrist was the size of a six-year-olds. Don't guess, grab her favorite and measure.

Regards,

Les Holmes

Mike~ I use 16 gauge material for most of the bracelets I make. If I am overlaying material on to a bracelet, then I usually start with 18 gauge as the base and 22 gauge as the overlay. I have an old stepped bracelet mandrel that I bought from Rio Grande years ago. I use this to perform the initial bend (It gives a C shape to the bracelet as Weldon described above). Then (you're gonna laugh), I use the handle portion of a baseball bat that is secured in my vise, and complete the forming of the ends of the bracelet. As women's wrist vary with bone structure and such, I have found that I usually need between a 5 1/4" to 6 1/2" length of material. I would agree that it is a good idea to get a sample measure before starting so that you may more readily determine what length you will need.

Best regards,
Greg Pauline

Great advise from everyone. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

I will let everyone know how it goes.

Thanks
Mike

One of the advantages of the GRS bracelet former is that it imparts a slight dome to the bracelet. This adds rigidity to the bracelet, so you can get away with 16 or 18 gauge. As reported by others, I do a lot between 1/2" to 1 1/4" wide. You can always do a tapered bracelet, wider in the center and narrower at the ends. This adds an interesting design element, and gives more canvas to carve.
Will

Mike, I also use 14 to 18 gauge silver in widths from 1/4 inch to 1 1/2 inch as to the length I measure the circumfrence of the wrist then subtract the thickness of the wrist and add a 1/2 inch back on. this seems to give you enough room to slide the bracelet on then turn it without falling off or flopping around to much-I have also been using a baseball bat for a forming tool for many years- the only difference is I belt sanded it flat on one side to get the flat side of the C-Fred