Help me find this bracelet

October 21, 2009 5:22 PM

Help me find a replacement for this bracelet! It is broken and I used to wear it daily. The catch: I have no idea where it came from as I found it on the street 4 years ago.

The only distinguishing mark is the following engraved (or maybe stamped?) on both ends of the clasp:

925
MEX
66111 (or maybe GG111)

I would also accept something that looks similar, but with a bike in the middle instead (I saw one a few years ago in the REI headquarters in Seattle and have yet to find anything like it since).

posted by kthxbi to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (12 answers total)

Since all the hardware is still in good shape, why not see if you can just replace the leather or twine part that's snapped? You can get leather / other materials from most craft stores that have a jewelry making section, as well as any tools you'd need.
posted by dumbledore69 at 5:26 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

Feel free to flag this for deletion, but you could take it to a bead shop. Get someone to help you pick out the right sort of cord and clasps, and make yourself a new one.
posted by rtha at 5:27 PM on October 21, 2009

doh
posted by rtha at 5:28 PM on October 21, 2009

Response by poster: well the thing is, the silver clasps seem to have been clamped shut on the leather, so I figured a) pulling the leather out would be a problem and b) re-opening them to re-clamp something in would also be a problem
posted by kthxbi at 5:29 PM on October 21, 2009

Your local bead store should have new crimps to attach the clasp on the ends.
posted by Ochre,Hugh at 5:39 PM on October 21, 2009

Yes, new clasps are absolutely no problem. This is probably the best way to get exactly what you want with only a small amount of effort and not too much money. The important part is still in tact. :-)
posted by dumbledore69 at 5:45 PM on October 21, 2009

Response by poster: Ok well what if I really just want to replace it with something similar? I've tried finding jewelry like this all over the internet (including both retailers and etsy-like site) and can't seem to find anything like it.
posted by kthxbi at 5:51 PM on October 21, 2009

Your best bet is still probably going to be to reuse the charm part, but you should consider having it made custom for you through Alchemy. You post what you want, how much you're willing to spend, and when you want it done by. Artisans bid and you can pick one to make it if you find one with a good game plan.
posted by ishotjr at 6:10 PM on October 21, 2009 [1 favorite]

ishotjr has a great idea -- you could even just post the picture and have something similar but different (whatever you like) created just for you! Alchemy/Etsy is an awesome resource.

Also, searching for "leather bracelets" or "leather thong bracelets" yielded some similar results.
posted by dumbledore69 at 6:59 PM on October 21, 2009

"925" is commonly used to mark sterling silver, which is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper.
posted by Ery at 7:32 PM on October 21, 2009

925=sterling; MEX=Mexico; no clue what the numbers/letters are, but could either be a particular artisan or style number. Most bead shops and on-line jewellery making shops have both base metal and sterling findings, leather thongs, etc. that you could buy to repair it yourself. I'd suggest getting a local person to repair it. Try your local bead store as most of the people who work in them make jewellery. If not one of them, their customers do. Just make sure they replace the silver with silver.
posted by x46 at 7:58 PM on October 21, 2009

Your best bet is probably to take it to a jewelry store for repair. But if you are looking to replace it with something similar, Google Image Search will let you skim through images quickly, looking for similar things. Also, Amazon has a largish jewelry section.
posted by beandip at 8:18 PM on October 21, 2009