In this article, we provide some tips on bracelet manufacturing.
Santa Prisca Silver has manufacturing facilities in Taxco. Most of our work is in sterling silver. For the most part, we produce custom jewelry. Our silversmiths make gorgeous handmade pieces. We produce lost wax jewelry in sterling silver, also sometimes in vermeil. We also produce a variety of custom handmade sterling silver pieces as well.
The consumer market for beaded bracelets is strong, so we’ve expanded into that market as well in the past few years.
Who is This Content For? Designers and Retailers
This article is for a variety of types of readers. Designers just getting started are interested in beaded bracelets. Many retailers and suppliers want to have beaded bracelets mass produced.
In any case, we’re glad to discuss your project.
We walk designers through stages of conceptual design and packaging (if needed), prototyping, final samples, and ultimately, bulk production, even if it’s just a very basic beaded hemp bracelet.
Why Does this Matter?
Inquiries often come to us from busy entrepreneurs or aspiring ones. They may have spent lots of time personally making their bracelets by hand or have attempted to hire small teams in their area for bracelet assembly / production.
If truly dedicated, they’ll later be ready to produce hundreds or thousands of individual bracelets.
The next realization of owners is that there often just isn’t enough time in the day to do everything, including:
- Packaging and shipping
- Marketing
- Customer service
- Accounting and admin.
Most realize that they’ll need to bring on a manufacturer to handle production for:
- Material sourcing, purchasing and logistics
- Hiring and managing workshop staff
- Custom packaging design and development
- Quality assurance / reliable craftsmanship
Instead of needing to do all this personally, the solution long-term is outsourcing. By handling the manufacturing element of a business, we free up lots of time for our partners to expand.
Feel free to reach out to us below to discuss your project and how we might be able to help.
Product Types
Let’s go over some of some different types of merchandise in the market, including.
Wristbands – Leather and hemp wristbands.
Charms – There are oodles of these in Taxco, and we can produce these in non-sterling for necklaces. In some cases, matching earrings are desired!
Silicone Bracelets – Silicone and rubber bracelets are great for charities and fundraisers, but most of our use of silicone is in the making of molds to reproduce original pieces that are sent to us. Custom wristbands and awareness ribbons are sometimes used. We try to avoid plastic!
Cuff Bracelets – Bracelets that don’t quite go all the way around one’s wrist. If you have an original model, we can replicate intricate designs using a mold. Link bracelets are typically handmade.
Stainless Steel – non-precious metal bracelets are a lower-cost alternative to sterling. These can also be plated in silver or gold, but unless you are going with a basic hemp or string bracelet, we generally recommend using sterling silver as a base metal, so that the end-client will receive metals with inherent value.
Watch Bracelets – Custom-made to fit a particular make of watch.
Precious Metal Bracelets– Gold is costly and requires a careful catch-system. We produce a number of different types of bangles.
Rings – When in sterling silver, rings are typically reproduced by making a mold as well.
Questions:
Do you supply watches to brands like Gay Frères and consumer-facing retailers who are close to the bracelet manufacturing world?
We’re big fans of antiquity in sterling bracelets and watches, including those available at Gay Frères. However, no. At some point, we will expand our standard wholesale market, but currently almost all our merchandise is custom made. Beautiful design and execution by those like Patek Philippe are to be admired, but we stick with that we know!
Can you produce Rolex-like quality?
We hold back any product that does not meet desired standards and have guaranteed replacement on any pieces that are sent that aren’t up to par. We also cover shipping both ways, in this circumstance. This obviously gives us another incentive to make sure we only ship pieces that will pass client-side QA.
What raw material do you work with?
Most of our work is with sterling silver. We also do plating in silver and gold. Vermeil is silver base metal, plated with gold. We do not use any toxic materials. Our typical alloy is a mixture of copper and silver. 925 means 92.5% silver and 7.5% non-precious alloy metal.
We work with various types and colors of gemstones as well, including cubic zirconia, semi-precious and precious stones. Most projects use semi-precious stones, as diamonds etc. for most designers are prohibitively expensive.
How do you handle engravings?
We generally use dies or laser engraving. Dies are heavy brass pieces that can be custom-made at low cost and can be used thousands of times to stamp your pieces with a particular brand. Laser engraving is a bit more accurate and is used to brand pieces that are particularly delicate and could be damaged if they were stamped with a die. For a special finish, some of our engravings are done by hand.
What are your labor practices in Taxco?
We manage this on a deal-to-deal basis. Most companies in this region and in this industry require that workers be on the premises Monday through Saturday. We’re a lot more laid back than that, and we are not fans of the labor practices of ‘Nike and friends.’ If we have bracelets to produce that are hemp and beads or something simple, we don’t even require that employees be on-site while they work. If remote work is the future, why not for manufacturing as well?