I’m trying to find sterling silver jewelry findings. So far I’ve found lots of diy shops that sell the cheap base metal clasps but I’d prefer sterling silver, and maybe even some gold clasps.
Anyone know where I can start looking?
J.
Hi Jennifer,
There are some shops over towards the “hou che zhan” area (the area behind Taipei Train Station) that sell a lot of sterling silver, solder, findings, and wire. Unfortunately I have no clue what the address is (I always just navigate my way there kind of by smell!!) but I’d be happy to take you there someday (if you’re not afraid to venture abroad with a person like me!) 
I make handmade glass beads. What kind of jewelry are you making??
Have you been to Sandimen in Pingtung County, Terry? There’s a really funky little Aboriginal bead-making workshop there where you can watch them making really intricate and beautiful glass beads and would probably be allowed to use their equipment as well, if you asked nicely. I was there last week and picked up a namecard, so I could post the address, etc., if you’re interested.
There is also quite a lot of printed matter that tells about the history of local bead-making, the meaning of the designs, what they were used for, etc.
Well, I found it interesting, anyway, and I don’t even make beads! The women are very friendly and generous – my wife bought just one very heavy and elaborate multi-string bead neckwear device (“necklace” just doesn’t do it justice) and was given all kinds of smaller bracelets, etc., for free. I was even given a necklace thingy with a giant wild pig tusk on it.
Definitely worth a look if you’re ever down that way.
Yeah, do post the details if you have them, Sandman. I’ve only been to Pingtung County once and I got a virulent stomach virus a half hour after arriving, so my travels were quite limited!! 
I’d love to meet you there sometime Terry! Thanks for offering. I was actually in that area yesterday. I was at a nearby park and thought I’d do some exploring–my fatherinlaw told me to look on Chung Ching N. Rd.
But I ended up getting sucked into this one 4 story place. When we finally got out of there, I also found a little shop that sold nice jewelry boxes (the velvet kind for presentation) and displays.
The same shop had a bunch of finished necklaces that looked like they might be sterling silver but when we asked the gentleman behind the counter if they were white gold or silver, he didn’t understand. I said, “925?” and he said, “no, 550”. So either he meant silver but less than 925 or about 12k white gold. The quality tags on them only said “Italy” but we couldn’t see a number. Any ideas?
Let’s take this offline…
J.