In order to reduce the load time, I've split the following entries off from the others. To see the more recent news log, click here.
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(12-28-2000) Some tweaking of the text here and there, a few corrections, and some price-list additions. I've added some larger rings to my repertoire, with as many as thirteen loops so far. With the experience gained previously, and with the success in implementing these, I'm confident that I can make a ring of any size, and any complexity, within the limitations of the actual Turk's Head knots themselves.
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(12-17-2000) I hope that everyone enjoys their traditional seasonal celebrations of the end of the year, whatever heritage might be involved. For those who are looking for gifts, I am no longer in a position to offer delivery prior to December 25th, unfortunately, but my website is still open for new orders, as always.
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(12-09-2000) In case you haven't been paying attention, the calender shows very few days remaining before Christmas. My classes are finished for the semester, and I have enough open time between now and then to complete another two or three rings, probably no more, or perhaps one additional bracelet, and still have time to ship them.
I've made several of the combined gold and silver rings already, and my stock of extra twisted wire is dwindling, but it should last through the next couple of weeks if anyone is interested.
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(11-14-2000) I've added a couple of new pictures here and there, a new double ring set on the matched sets page and an absolutely gorgeous new ring made with twisted strands on the five-lead rings page.
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(11-9-2000) In light of the fact that the rings and bracelets started with pure silver are easier to do, even if there is some gold added to them, I am trying to work out prices that will be fair for me but will allow people to get nice presents for the holidays without spending a fortune.
I've added some more pictures to the bracelets page, as well.
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(10-21-2000) I've decided to offer pure gold and silver rings again, having had the opportunity to examine one that has been worn constantly for the last four or five years. I had originally expressed pessimism over its durability, but it appears that I may have been wrong.
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(10-17-2000) I've done considerable rewriting in a number of areas, revamped the menus to make the site look a bit better in browsers with larger text selected, and changed the example illustration to give a better idea what is meant by esoteric terms like "lead", "bight", and "strand". Also, I've added a page that shows a series of rings with more and more leads, to show the differences they make.
My chain has been completed for a while, and looks great.
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(09-17-2000) My "How to order" page is revamped in an attempt to make it actually useful.
I've added a price schedule for platinum rings. I just realized that there are prices for rings, both gold and platinum, that I don't think I'd care to attempt, i.e., the very large and complex rings should not be doubled, much less tripled. As always, call or write to me to finalize an order and get the details right.
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(09-12-2000) I sent out requests for feedback from previous customers, to see if there were any problems brewing. (Firestone tires, anyone?) The responses are quite ego-boosting, so far, but if you'd like to read them anyway, check my "What others say" page.
I've rearranged some pictures and put in some more explanations in order to clarify what is meant by "leads" and how it affects the appearance of a ring.
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(09-01-2000) The new price list for gold rings and bracelets is now finalized. Some prices went down, others went up, to more closely reflect the amount of effort involved in their making. I have also fine tuned some text here and there, nothing terribly significant, and brought the Order and Comment response pages into line with the "look and feel" of the rest of the site. You won't see any difference there unless you decide to send me some feedback, which I encourage you to do.
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(08-13-2000) The order form has been updated to reflect the possibility of ordering bracelets, and streamlined to allow greater customization.
I've added a picture of the most complex bracelet I've ever made, a nine lead twenty-nine bight knot in silver. It took a lot of wire, but the results are pleasing.
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(08-09-2000) I am changing my pricing calculations a bit, which lowers some prices for less complicated knots, leaves some unchanged, and increases the cost of the more complicated ones. This is my first price change in over a year and a half, and it is tentative at this point. I've also added a price list for bracelets. Comments are welcome.
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(06-19-2000) I did a new style of post earring, just a "stop knot" tied in a bit of wire. This one came into existence because I lost the diamond earring for a heart stopping 45 seconds and decided I needed something I could wear in the shower or during times when I didn't want to obsess over where my expensive earring had got to.
While I was updating that, I went ahead and tweaked a few other spots on the site to make it more readable.
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(06-05-2000) No exciting new pictures to add, but I've updated my "artist's statement" so that it is even more boring and convoluted than it was before. I've also tweaked the how-to-order page, and added some words here and there to clarify some points.
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(03-24-2000) Well, I finally got around to recycling the diamond from my ex-engagement ring. All my other earrings are the dangling sort, suspended from a loop of wire, but this stone really demanded a "post" setting. There is only the one diamond, so this is the only earring of this sort so far, but I could be persuaded to make settings if someone came to me with a matched pair of stones. Minimum size would be about 1/2 carat, I think, and a round cut, as this diamond is. Much smaller and I wouldn't even try it.
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(03-20-2000) I've been working on my chain for weeks, now, and have it up to nearly six inches in length. No joke, this chain is terribly labor intensive, and I'm lucky to average two links per day, with everything else that's going on. The chain page has been updated to show some more details of it.
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(03-06-2000) I have some new opals (my favorite stone) to make settings for. The first of the new ones is now displayed at the top of the pendants page. When you look at that, you'll notice that there is a new and unusual chain showing up. I swore I'd never do another chain like the one you'll find in the picture that is second from the bottom on that page - well, this chain isn't quite the same, so technically I'm not going back on my word. However, it's at least six times harder to make, and I don't plan on doing many of them. Maybe just the one.
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(01-27-2000) There is no more Champagne Gold, as the last piece of it was shipped out a short time ago. There are some traces of the Kruggerand still showing up in my yellow gold mix, making it a little lighter, but unless/until someone wants to use another South African gold coin for partial payment, there will be no more of it.
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(12-21-99) Several changes have slipped in while I was too busy to update this page. I retired the pure silver and pure gold ring from its place of honor on the first page of the site in favor of a platinum and champagne number that is easily the prettiest ring I've ever made. (So far - I've got another similar one on the bench.) I've also cut the lower part of that page off and moved it to another location, since it probably wasn't being looked at anyway, being below the bottom of most folks' displays.
I've also decided to relent somewhat and post a site map, since the website is beginning to resemble a tortuous maze. If you are wondering if you missed something, check the listing there and if something seems unfamiliar you can go directly to it.
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(11-18-99) Somehow I just couldn't help myself, after producing the 9x8 silver ring, and now I have completed an even more complex eleven-lead ring. It's very wide, though not impractically so for someone with long fingers.
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(10-27-99) Reacting to an implied challenge from my friend out west, I have produced a nine-lead ring. The first experimental model is in fine silver, which is relatively easy to handle, but, having managed to produce it once in silver, I am now confident that I can repeat it in gold.
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(10-11-99) I have a new color of gold to offer, Champagne, and thereby hangs a tale. This is not yellow gold, and not pink gold, but rather a warm yellowy-orangish-pink gold. It is somewhat similar to Hoover & Strong's Peach® gold, but not so pink. I have a limited quantity of it, and I have no idea whether it will even be possible for me to make any more.
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(9-16-99) Two new items today: I've added some illustrations for those who have asked about the twisted wire that I make, and I've added a picture of a matched set of rings as a link off of the five-lead ring page.
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(9-12-99) I can now take credit card orders, though not directly. I have registered with Kagi, an online company that processes orders for various products. They used to handle mostly software, and I was always happy with their service as a buyer, but now they handle other types of goods as well. See my online order form on their site, which includes an option for secure ordering. (obsolete)
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(8-28-99) My customers are a constant inspiration to me, and again I have to thank one of them for asking me to do "something different". I have used multiple colors before, of course, but it always seemed to me that they should contrast quite a bit, just on principle. Well, I can admit it when I'm wrong. Look at the results at the top of the page devoted to five-lead rings to see what I mean.
I have finally gotten around to including some questions, and such answers as I could come up with, that have come my way since starting this site. If you have some burning question that has not been answered elsewhere, look at the FAQ and, if it isn't there either, send it along. I'll update it as necessary.
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(7-15-99) I've gotten quite a few comments and compliments on my bracelets, but most folks seem nervous about having something rigidly compressed around their wrists, for some reason. I can't imagine why... Anyway, I have just completed a twisted-wire version of the 7x29 bracelet which can be slipped on and off pretty easily since it is very flexible. See the Bracelets and Earrings page for a picture of it, just below the one made with solid wire.
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(5-15-99) A recent caller asked for a ring that would have been extremely difficult to tie, if not impossible, due to his desire for many bights in a very small size, so I have added some further detail to the price page to indicate the range of ring sizes available for a given knot.
Thanks are due to another customer who insisted on a knot of his own choice in spite of the fact that I don't list it - so, having produced some multi-line Turk's Head rings, I will now consider the possibility of producing more. Here's an example of a two-line ring, and a three-line ring, made with a different color gold for each part.
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(5-3-99) Having got around to making the tools necessary to complete bracelets a bit more easily, I have now produced some interesting additions to the bracelet line. I updated the picture of the 5x37 silver and gold bracelet to show its improved condition, and added a picture of a 7x29 bracelet in yellow 18K gold. Check out the Bracelets and Earrings page to see what I mean.
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(4-14-99) I have managed to produce two bracelet designs, one of them with 5 leads and 37 bights, the other with 5 leads and 29 bights. I have decided that it would be better to ship them exclusively as bangles for now, as the shaping of the knot to someone's wrist while maintaining the integrity of the knot is not a trivial task. I will gladly fit a bracelet directly to your wrist in person, with the understanding that it should then remain there on a long term basis. Adjustments, removal, and refitting would be free of charge, as long as I do the work personally. For those with the dexterity and inclination, I will be happy to provide instructions and illustrations for this, but I might charge a small fee for reworking mangled pieces.
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(4-2-99) I am currently designing a Turk's Head bracelet, similar to the rings but more complex. Where the rings are tied with just a few bights, (6, 8, 9, and 11 are the current choices offered) the bracelets will have anywhere from 26 to 46 bights, and may possibly range from 5 to as many as 11 leads. Although I have not yet finished a bracelet, I expect to have one ready for display within the next few weeks, probably a simpler one to start out with - a 5-lead 36-bight knot is on the drawing board.
Note that these are still single-line knots, so there will be no catch or clasp; I expect they will be worn as a bangle, in other words. Interestingly, it may be possible, after slipping it onto your hand, to squeeze it to a smaller diameter and have it fit like a watch-band, but this would necessitate use of a higher karat gold, or fine silver, to limit work-hardening of the wire.
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(3-19-99)As promised, there is another star on the pendant page, this one is a five-pointed one.
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(3-15-99) Two new things, actually, a pretty little pendant in two colors, a five-lead six-bight silver Turk's Head medallion with an 18K gold Star of David in the center, and an addendum to the "Highly Technical" section, a brief (oops, sorry, maybe not so brief) discussion of the math involved when I calculate the length of wire in a knot. Look for more of the two-color pendants and maybe some earrings to match, coming soon.
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(1-17-99) I just recently ordered some "Peach Gold", a proprietary alloy (patented) from Hoover & Strong, a beautiful colored gold that is somewhat between pink and yellow. I've already received one order that appears to have been decisively influenced by the buyer having seen the metal at first hand, so I expect that I will continue to feature this color as an option, along with the Palladium White that is mentioned elsewhere on this site.
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For those who worry about transactions online, check out this link, Trade Direct, a bonded and insured company that can take care of business in a secure way for a very modest fee, protecting both the buyer and the seller. You may find their Fraud Protection Guarantee reassuring.
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Check out the updated price scheme on the Prices page, simplified and streamlined.
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For those with a burning need to ask me direct questions, I can often be found in a chat room on Delphi, in the Apple II forum there. You can visit it from the web, just look for the room with "Apple II" in the title and pop in - I usually visit it several times during the late evening (Eastern Time, USA). Note that you can get a free account if you're not already a member of Delphi. (no longer relevant, sorry, as of late 2000)
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I've received several messages via my order form, and/or feedback form, which included an incorrect return email address. Unfortunately, there is simply no way for me to work my way back to the correct spelling from the few clues available, so I am unable to respond directly. Please take a moment to check your address, before clicking the send button. In fact, I would be glad to get a follow-up message directly from your email account if you don't hear from me within a day or so - I nearly always respond within one day, if not one hour, depending on work and school schedules.
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