Rob Meixner - Jewelry
Precious Metal and Lapidary
Simple everyday jewelry made to last a lifetime
since 1973.
Frequently asked questions about ordering Rob Meixner - Jewelry.
Selection
This is a process better left up to the buyer; however, there are some points to keep in mind. Some of the larger and heavier bracelets can't be made to fit on a small wrist. They would look out of proportion and may be uncomfortable to wear. Otherwise, any style, in either sterling silver or gold, can be made to fit any wrist. The heavier bracelets especially, can be made to fit a man's wrist. Yes, I sell a lot of bracelets for men.
More than one bracelet can be worn at a time. Actually, this is encouraged. People have been buying my bracelets for many years and they look forward to the chance to add one more bracelet to their collection. Following is a picture of my mother's collection taken prior to her death in 2008. These are all bracelets made by my father and some are over seventy years old.
Bracelet Size
Rob Meixner Bracelets should be worn; as a result, size is very important. You should avoid buying a bracelet that you have to bend each time that you put it on or take it off. If this is the case, it is the wrong size and will eventually break. In order to insure that you buy the right size, measure the circumference of your wrist where it meets your hand. You can do this using a cloth measuring tape or by simply tying a piece of string around your wrist. Don't make it too tight or loose. From this measurement, I can estimate your size. Bracelets are initially sized by their length prior to bending. They range from 4 inches long for a small child's wrist to over 7 inches for a large adult wrist. I make them in quarter inch increments in length. This allows me to fit almost any wrist. If it is large enough, you will see several numbers stamped inside your bracelet. They include 50, 51, 52, 53, 60 or 1,2,3,0. These numbers represent different sizes in quarter inch increments. Once the right length is determined, then the bracelet can be shaped to fit your wrist. As an example, my wrist is 6.75 inches in circumference and I wear a bracelet that was 6.25 inches long before it was bent. After you determine your size, remember it so that you can easily buy more bracelets. The thickness of a bracelet will also effect its size. If two bracelets are the same length and one is thicker, the thicker one will actually be smaller in size once it is bent than the thinner one. This is just high school geometry. A more accurate way to size bracelets is to determine the internal end to end circumference (IC) of a bracelet that fits you well. This is the inside length of the bracelet measured from end to end. The following picture will show you how to measure a bracelet's IC. Regardless of its thickness, a bracelet should fit you as long as it is the right IC. If you wear more than one bracelet at a time, the size needed may change depending where on your wrist it is worn. There is additional information stamped inside of your bracelet. It includes the metal content (Sterling, .0925 or 14K), my initials (RLM), and a serial number. I have serial number records for most of my jewelry pieces going back to 1973.
Ordering
I have removed my online order page from this website. Most of my customers contact me directly by phone or via email to order new work and I encourage this. This way we are able to communicate such that you get exactly what you want, in the case of bracelets they fit and the final price may be less than if you use an online order page. Typical online order pages don't allow for this type of communication.
Orders may be placed by calling me at (315) 689 5229 or emailing me at rmeixner0526@gmail.com. You can also use the Contact Page of this website. Once I know what you are ordering, I will send you an invoice via Wix or Square for the indicated price plus shipping and sales tax if I am shipping to a NYS address. You can pay the Wix or Square invoice with most credit cards or we can arrange for you to send me a check. Cash will always work for in person deliveries. If you are ordering a bracelet, you should include the BXXX number found on the Current Bracelet Designs page and your wrist size. If you already have a Rob Meixner - Bracelet that fits, there should be a size stamped on the inside. It looks like: 51,52,53,60. If you don't know your size, then measure the circumference of your wrist in inches where it meets your hand. A cloth measuring tape is the best way to take this measurement. There is also size guidance just above this section on the FAQ page.
New work for sale will be posted on this website and my FB page. Feel free to send a friend request.
Wear
Some people are initially challenged with putting on and taking off a cuff style bracelet. Basically, you are trying to get your wrist through the smallest gap possible so that your bracelet stays on, but is also comfortable and safe to wear. While it may be difficult at first, this becomes a very simple process and, as you wear your bracelet, you become accustomed to its feel and you eventually forget that it is there. Many of my customers wear as many as 10 on each wrist. If you wear more than one bracelet, it is a good idea to reverse their order from time to time to even out any edge wear that might occur from one bracelet rubbing against the other. Also, as you stack bracelets up your wrist, the size needed may change.
Care
My Jewelry is made to be worn. As a result, I expect that it will get dirty, lose its polish and even get damaged. You can easily clean your jewelry by soaking it in a solution of hot water and sudsy ammonia. Use a soft (used), toothbrush to clean out the more stubborn dirt. DO NOT use commercial tarnish remover unless you want to remove all of the tarnish. If you do, use a liquid or cream tarnish remover only as paste tarnish remover may scratch the surface. I have also recently found that the hand cleaner goop without pumice will do a nice job cleaning your jewelry. Remember that it is the contrast between the polished high spots that occur naturally from clothing rubbing against your bracelet and tarnish in the low spots that gives your jewelry that special look. Tarnish remover will remove this contrast. Be sure to read the MSDS for any tarnish remover before you use it as they can be dangerous. You can always return any of my pieces and, for a small fee to cover packaging and, shipping, I will re-polish it. If you damage your jewelry, email me first to discuss the damage and I would be happy to try and repair it. For an in depth discussion on the care of silver and gold objects, go to Herman Silver Restoration and Conservation. Jeff is a great silver conservator in Rhode Island and a wealth of knowledge on the care and restoration of silver objects.
Engraving
Engraving is the process of cutting letters, numbers, and designs into metal. Hand engraving is done by hand with special tools called gravers. In the hands of a talented artist, many pieces of jewelry, flatware, raised vessels, guns and many more metal objects were engraved. It is now very difficult to find a hand engraver and, as a result, very expensive. I am learning the basic of hand and pneumatic engraving, but it will be a long time before I can call myself an engraver. Simple engraving can be done by machine engravers that are, more often than not, connected to a computer to engrave whatever flat and fairly simple design has been created on the computer. As an example, think sports trophys, plaques and drinking mugs. In a way, the creativity in engraving did not disappear, it was just transferred to the person creating the design on the computer. Hand engraving is still a very special art and one to be respected. Most of my jewelry can be machine engraved as long as there is a flat section large enough to hold the engraved pattern and the machine engraver can access the area to be engraved. Maybe, sometime in the future, I will be able to hand engrave it. Please discuss your engraving needs with me ahead of time to determine if they can be accommodated in the process of making your piece of jewelry. In the case of most bracelets, the engraving has to be done before the bracelet is bent into its final shape. All of my engraving is currently done by The Pen and Trophy Center in East Syracuse, NY.
That’s about it. Call or write if you have any questions...Rob