Stone Collars and Cabochons

[rpfstoneman]

Pat Said-

On the other hand, I have tried to commission hard stone or semi precious stone or bone collars in different sizes and fell over from shock at the prices they charge. No wonder nice loose old stoppers go for good money these days.

Scored!!!!

Attended one of our local gem and bead shows a week ago, and scored.  Had to sift through a bin but found some 240 pieces.  Black stone collars in 7 different sizes, green and clear crystal collars, and a number of domed cabochons for stoppers.  The polished stone collars are 1.5 to 2.0 mm thick, a perfect thickness for most bottles.  All for $50 US.   Charll   

 

[Steven]

Wow,that is great Charll...

Is there any left? did you asked where were they made? or any info of the provider?, those collars look great!

[Pat - 查尚杰]

Scored indeed Charll!   Just like Steven would love to find the source.

What a steal!!!   

[George]

Most excellent Charll !!

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

Dear Charll,
   Those are probably onyx collars. Congratulations! You seem to have a nice range of sizes.
    I found a store selling jewelry findings and such, in NYC's jewelry district, 20 years ago, and they had 30 different sizes of black onyx collars with a hole drilled in the centre.
   They were called spacer beads, used to alternate with metal or other material  beads. I got a small and a medium. I had to buy 100 each, at $10 to $20 each group, depending on size. I should have bought 100 of EACH size, but at the time $450 seemed like a lot of money, and counting out 3,000 onyx collars a lot of work! 
   Now I wish I had...   
Joey

[richy88]

Great find, Charll!

[Pat - 查尚杰]

Joey

I once found a group of the onyx spacers and they wanted $2.5 a PIECE.   

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

Pat,
  $2.50 EACH?!  Wow! That is ridiculous, unless you can buy EXACTLY the size collar you need each time you need it.
Joey

[Pat - 查尚杰]

Don't disagree but try to find ANY ... now...  I wish I would have bought the entire lot of 200 or so, frankly.  Funny discussion to have here really, given that we pay hundreds of dollars or in some cases thousands, for a bottle.  Seems $2.50 for a nice onyx collar is still a bargain...

[rpfstoneman]

Joey,

Thanks for the insight.  Been rattling the brain a bit trying to determine the material of the black stone.  And yes some have a hole drilled in the center, but not all the way through.   Now that you said it, it seems obvious.  Charll   

[Wattana]

Great find Charll!

I have a good supply of cabochons, but very few collars to match. Like everyone else, I'd like to know where to get hold of collars in different sizes. The greenish blue ones in your picture look particularly attractive.

Tom

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

Dear Pat,
    When I stopped a moment to think about it, I realised that you are 100% right! 
I also realise how dumb it was not to buy 3,000 collars for less than $500! Oh well, live and learn...
Joey

Don't disagree but try to find ANY ... now...  I wish I would have bought the entire lot of 200 or so, frankly.  Funny discussion to have here really, given that we pay hundreds of dollars or in some cases thousands, for a bottle.  Seems $2.50 for a nice onyx collar is still a bargain...

[rpfstoneman]

Tom,

Joey brought up the point that the flat black onyx discs (collars) are used as spacer beads and can occasionally be found as a string in necklace form.  I have seen these a few times in bead stores, and these this time were found at a combination Gem, Mineral, and Bead show event.  I tend to venture into bead, jewelry, and rock shops when ever I can to look for such items.  Most often there is nothing, but on occasion a score is made.

Charll

[Wattana]

Hi Charll,

Following Joey's describing them as spacer beads yesterday, I immediately googled for 'spacer beads' and 'bead spacers'. Nothing remotely similar showed up. So I then tried 'cabochon spacers', 'cabochon mounts', and 'cabochon collars'...........each with similarly disappointing results. There must be another term for them in the jewelry industry which has so far escaped me.

Two alternatives I have used before are (1) buttons, and (2) small coins. These can sometimes be found in sizes that match the diameter of a bottle's lip, and are quite effective. It is not difficult to find small buttons of pearl, bone, horn, etc. And a nickel-coloured quarter Thai Baht coin has made a respectable collar on one bottle!

Tom

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

I will ask a jeweler friend what they are called. I also tried to find them under 'spacer beads' on the Internet, with no luck either.
Joey

[George]

I found some things using the word, "disc"..

Flat bead disc..

[Steven]

Dear all,

I found a good source for purchasing the collars, plastic but good quality as I can tell from the pics, varied size and different colors.

you might find one which you like for your bottles.

http://plasticbeadswholesale.com/shop/disc-spacer-beads-medium-c-122_125.html?page=3&sort=20a

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

Thank you, Steven.
   The correct ones are described as 'flat disc spacer beads' and go for US$2 - US$3.50 for 12.
That seems very reasonable.
Joey

[Pat - 查尚杰]

Call me a snob or picky or both, but I refuse anything plastic on my bottles, and especially the old, older or antique ones.   Just my opinion... 

[Joey Silver / Si Zhouyi 義周司]

Dear Pat,
  You are a snob and you are picky. Satisfied?! 
  But I see your point, too...
  It is just that I've grown up with vinyl collars, courtesy YF Yang, and don't see the need to be picky or a snob. 
  What is your alternative source?
Best,
   Joey