Wow, that's a lot of options!

As I work to build up the options and variety offered in my shop, I worry that it might become confusing. There are different sizes, different metals and what seems like endless mixtures that can be used.

The Stamps:

Right now, these are my most current stamps. I say that because I just ordered an adorable bird and elephant! Anyway, back to the point.

As you can see there are three different sizes with six different fonts. Basically my sizes are, big, regular, tiny. The top that says Big is obviously the big one. It's 1/4" and all upper case. "Upper", "lower fancy" and "Upper fancy" are all 1/8". This is a common size used anywhere you find stamped metals. Tiny, is of course the smallest at 1/16" and all uppercase. A good diagram can be found at Beaducation.



The same goes with the design stamps. The majority are 1/8" sized, but the larger ones, like the top row, wings and angel pictured above, are larger, nearly 1/4".


There's also a very large variety of things you can stamp on. Discs, squares, washers, rectangles, cuffs, earrings, dog tags, keyrings, and the list goes on. There is also a variety of metals; sterling, nickel silver, aluminum, brass, bronze, and copper. I currently use all the metals I just listed. Sterling might get toned down more or even phased out because right now, it's at $40 an ounce.

Well, what does that mean for you as a customer?
With the price of sterling going up over 80% in the last year, so does your price you pay. The market may fluctuate, but it has not and will not go down for some time.

Why consider other metals?
Nickel silver and aluminum are fantastic options. Not only are they the same silver color you love, but they also do not tarnish as easily, show scratches as well and are thicker allowing for less damage to happen. They are easy to keep clean and show off beautifully.

What about copper? I turn green!
There is a small percentage of people who have an allergic reaction to copper. What you, or I, can do to prevent the ring of green, is to put a layer of clear nail polish or a product, called Jewelry Shield, onto your item. This gives a protective coating preventing you or your item to be bothered by any allergic reaction!

I'm off to change a bunch of pictures and stamp some things! Have a great weekend. Take care.