Biker Rings/Vintage Jewellery thread

[Iron Horse]

Not sure I'll ever take this off!

 

What are the odds on this? 

 

Seriously though, what a beautiful piece.

[davito]

wow aho so stunning

 

itsbenhere congrats on that beauty man

 

I wear mostly my trusted Finelight Trading rings

 

Edited October 30, 2015 by davito

[KrisB]

Is it safe to wear brass rings?

 

I recently made a bunch of brass rings out of 360 brass and it's known to have a percent of lead to improve on its machine-ability.

Ever since i found that out i stopped wearing any brass items and told my friends to stop wearing the rings I made until i get the okay from a credible source.

 

What do you guys think?

[Iron Horse]

I would be wary of brass. Might turn your fingers green, or cause irritation.

 

Speaking of green, I added a turquoise stone to my Taro Washimi setup:

 

[TonesMIA]

I would be wary of brass. Might turn your fingers green, or cause irritation.

 

Speaking of green, I added a turquoise stone to my Taro Washimi setup:

 

what's my best bet of getting items from Taro Washimi and/or First Arrows in the US? is there a secondhand market for them?

[kiya]

Is it safe to wear brass rings?

 

I recently made a bunch of brass rings out of 360 brass and it's known to have a percent of lead to improve on its machine-ability.

Ever since i found that out i stopped wearing any brass items and told my friends to stop wearing the rings I made until i get the okay from a credible source.

 

What do you guys think?

 

It is definitely not safe to be wearing brass jewelry.  Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc.  Copper will turn your skin green over time but isn't that harmful to you, the same goes with zinc but isn't as common.  The issue is that most brass contains nickel and nickel can be poisonous.  Then last but not least you have lead which most brass contains .5% to 2% lead, and that's the really bad thing here.  Lead can lead to brain and organ damage.  How much lead will get into your bloodstream if you wear brass jewelry?  I have no idea, but basic studies show that you can absorb lead through metals through the skin so it's best not to be wearing brass rings or necklaces.

[Iron Horse]

what's my best bet of getting items from Taro Washimi and/or First Arrows in the US? is there a secondhand market for them?

 

Well, I saw that Blue in Green will start selling First Arrow's pieces at some point.

 

Secondhand: I got a FA bracelet off eBay once, but there's not much there. There is a Facebook group called First Arrow's Share Fun with people selling their used FA pieces. There's always Yahoo Auctions Japan, too. Not many Taro pieces up secondhand though.

 

Your best bet is just ordering from them directly; First Arrow's and Taro Washimi both have websites you can order from that are pretty straightforward. FA ships quickly, Taro is a bit slower because he's a one-man show.

Edited November 22, 2015 by Iron Horse

[KrisB]

Thanks @kiya much appreciated 

[Flipflop214]

recently bought some Goros on yahoo JP.  How can I be sure the pieces are authentic?

 

yahoo japan seller is werd663

Edited June 24, 2016 by Flipflop214

[Iron Horse]

Pretty much all Goro's pieces off yahoo auctions are fake.

Edited June 25, 2016 by Iron Horse

[Flipflop214]

How can you tell a genuine goros piece from a fake one?

[kiya]

How can you tell a genuine goros piece from a fake one?

 

 

It's almost impossible because Goro's work is all cast now, nothing is carved. 

So a fake feather made of .925 silver is basically the identical make-up of metal poured into a cast made of a real Goro's piece.

[Flipflop214]

Makes sense since du is RIP.

 

so is Iron Horse's statement true?  all goro's pieces on yahoo japan are fake?

Edited June 25, 2016 by Flipflop214

[kiya]

Makes sense since du is RIP.

 

so is Iron Horse's statement true?  all goro's pieces on yahoo japan are fake?

 

 

Nothing by Goro has been truly "hand made" for over 10 years, so before he even passed away.

And yes, most stuff you're going to find on Yahoo auctions is fake, mainly because it's so easy to fake his work.

[edmond]

Look into my boys : 13luckymonkey

[Flipflop214]

Anyone here bought goro's from Rakuten?

 

looking at this shop in particular: http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/silverhaze/

 

 

Cop'd a goro's chain at Cotton Sheep in SF.  Nice shop, they also stocked some wing rock pieces.. du Rue was very helpful.. only complaint was I was quoted the wrong price for a couple of pieces multiple times. I was like WTF.

Edited July 4, 2016 by Flipflop214

[Iron Horse]

I bought a Goro's medium silver sun/eagle pendant off Rakuten, and as far as I can tell it's legit.

 

Almost all the Goro's pieces on Rakuten seem "legit", except for the ones from this store. The prices seem too good to be true for a reseller.

 

I would honestly just buy from someone who actually makes their silver products by hand. Wait time for Taro Washimi is a few months (unless you buy from a stockist like Vinavast) but he does everything by hand. Same for Keep Koichi, Cholos, and Tatsuya Fukui. That's if you want to go the Japan route. 

[Flipflop214]

My heart is set on goro's 

 

So, the more you pay for a goro's piece the more legit it is?! lol..Fak, I'm feeling hopeless at this point.  Guess I'll just wait until my friend goes to japan this coming sept.  Hopefully he lucks out and gets me a feather or two.  

[Iron Horse]

So, the more you pay for a goro's piece the more legit it is?! lol

 

No, but a small 18k eagle/sun pendant for under $300 seems fishy to me, for example. Unless they're undercutting everyone, it just seems suspiciously cheap.

Obviously Goro's has the best overall designs, and hopefully your friend comes through. God knows the in-store prices are way lower than what the resellers are asking. Compared to reseller prices it's better to go with an actual silver maker like the ones I mentioned.

[Coolguyzack]

It is definitely not safe to be wearing brass jewelry.  Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc.  Copper will turn your skin green over time but isn't that harmful to you, the same goes with zinc but isn't as common.  The issue is that most brass contains nickel and nickel can be poisonous.  Then last but not least you have lead which most brass contains .5% to 2% lead, and that's the really bad thing here.  Lead can lead to brain and organ damage.  How much lead will get into your bloodstream if you wear brass jewelry?  I have no idea, but basic studies show that you can absorb lead through metals through the skin so it's best not to be wearing brass rings or necklaces.

Shoot. Ive been carrying a brass corter hook around for like 2 years and play both a nickel and brass pennywhistle. I wonder if its had an effect on me...

[somatoform]

^There is 100% brass that is nickel and lead free.

[pudaspriest]

Vintage cuff I picked up while road tripping through the southwest. There were lots of amazing pieces that I came across but I really liked the simplicity of this one. The leather is a flat head piece. 

 

[mlwdp]

Came across this silversmith based in Japan named Lynch Silversmith:

http://www.link-and-chain.com

one of the shops is selling his work:

http://www.veck.com/smartphone/list.html?category_code=ct14

 

 

 

[mlwdp]

%

pretty cool.

Edited February 15, 2017 by mlwdp

[itsbenhere]

My new bling...

 

And I could not help but notice all of my relative's insane watches during a dinner in Vegas... thought you might enjoy.... they count as bling right??

Forgive the fact that they're all women's 

[whenpancomestoshovel]

Been interested in getting a feather necklace for some time. Hoping for some guidance in this jungle.

Mostly been looking at Larry Smith and First Arrows. Vintage Goro's seems pretty unattainable. First Arrows seems nice, but I am not too sure about the 920 silver (prefer the 925).

I saw several other brands being mentioned here.

Does anyone have hands on experience with different brands and can give some input as to quality, bang for buck etc?

Which manufacturers are handmade vs investment cast?

Appreciate any input. Looking forward to my order.

 

[mlwdp]

Bought a simple silver ID bracelet made by XOLO jewelry from Diverse Japan yesterday.  Taxco, Mexico is where the bracelet is made and I really like their prices but wow their jewelry sells out a lot (go figure).  Nice alternative for those looking for something unique and not too flashy with a low price point.  I was reading up on the company and found that they’re  Japan owned.   Coverchord and a few other places sell the brand.

 

Watch this space as I used a proxy to buy the item.  Crossing fingers for the bracelet to come in.

Edited August 17, 2023 by mlwdp

[mlwdp]

XOLO jewelry came in from Diverse web.ID silver bracelet.  I’ve noticed that this style is popular in Japan.

Next piece will be a ring from

them.

 

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by mlwdp