Sweeps For CERF

Findings and
Finished Jewelry
Shop Our Finished Jewelry Sets
Our finished jewelry sets are ready to offer to your customers for simple upsells. These fashion jewelry favorites come in many fun themes across full sets of earrings, bracelets, necklaces and rings. Choose from sterling silver finished jewelry sets, gold-plated necklaces and earrings and even trendy copper jewelry designs!
Metals
- Alloy
- Argentium®
- Base Metal
- Gold
- Gold-Filled
- Platinum
- Silver
- Silver-Filled
Metals
Recycle your precious metal scrap and recover your costs through Rio Grande's scrap refining program. Learn more or get your scrap refinement kit to send in your silver, gold, gold-filled, palladium, fired precious metal clay and platinum scrap now!
Tools and
Equipment
Tools and Equipment
Find the right tool for any jewelry making project. Rio Grande offers the best selection of jewelry bench tools and equipment available, backed by our world-class technical support. Reach for Rio Grande whether you need beading tools, a new jewelry work bench, or any other jewelry tools and supplies. We even offer jewelry making equipment for casting and other advanced techniques. We carry trusted jewelry bench tool brands like Swanstrom, Beadalon, Foredom Flex Shaft, Bonny Doon, Fretz Hammers and more. Find the best-quality jewelry making tools and supplies at the best prices.
Beads and
Stringing Supplies
Beads and Stringing Supplies
Bead stringers know: you can never have too many beads! Whether you need colorful Swarovski beads, briolette beads or glass beads, or your design calls for a classic pearl or a natural stone bead, Rio Grande is your bead stringing source! Don¹t forget about gold beads and sterling silver beads and other metal beads; they¹re all here, too.
Gemstones
and Diamonds
Jewelry Display
and Packaging
Jewelry Display and Packaging
Bold creations meet bold jewelry displays at Rio Grande, where you¹ll find specialty displays to complement your designs and help increase sales. Rio Grande offers a variety of jewelry card displays from revolving to stationary, as well as striking organic fabric displays including silk, suede, velvet, faux leather and hemp.
Metal Clay, Glass,
Enamels and Resins
- Adhesives
- Enameling
- Gilders Paste
- Glass
- Metal Clay
- Resins
Metal Clay, Glass, Enamels and Resins
Versatile and inspiring silver precious metal clay has been available from Rio Grande for more than a decade‹and today the passion for metal clay continues to evolve with colorful BRONZclay and COPPRclay. Make Rio your first source for innovative metal clay tools, products, and ideas‹such as fire-in-place Embeddables findings‹and any other metal clay supplies you need.
At Rio Grande, you¹ll find the media you need to create unique, colorful pieces and expand your jewelry-making repertoire. Stock up on supplies for enameling, the art that welcomes the newcomer, yet challenges the expert. Add a splash of color with Colores, the fashionable epoxy resin that brightens up your work.

Sweeps for CERF: Fill a Heart, Not the Landfill Your sweeps can make a difference in the lives of fellow craftspeople. Through the Sweeps for CERF program, Rio Grande has partnered with Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) and will accept your sweeps as a donation to help sustain the careers of craftspeople across the United States. Our collective contribution can make a big difference to a fellow craft artist in need. So, before you take your sweeps to the landfill, think of filling the hearts of craftspeople affected by natural disasters and other emergencies.

About CERF CERF, a non-profit and tax-exempt organization, accomplishes its mission through the following initiatives: Emergency Relief and Recovery—provides assistance to sustain a craft artist’s career when an emergency occurs. Emergency Readiness— provides training, information and resources to help craft artists prevent emergencies and protect themselves and their businesses when emergencies do occur. Professional Development— aids in the advancement of craft artists’ careers. Advocacy Research and Policy— promotes and advances issues related to emergency relief response, preparedness and prevention for craft artists within various sectors. To learn more about CERF, visit their website.
How the Program Works Send us your sweeps. 1. Collect all of your sweeps into a plastic bag. 2. Seal the bag and place it into a box. Please note: do not put any additional items in the box. We cannot be responsible for items inadvertently sent to us, including scrap for credit or any returned merchandise, packaged with your sweeps. Send your package to us: Rio Grande 7500 Bluewater Rd. Albuquerque, NM 87121 Attention: Sweeps for CERF We will handle the rest. 1. We will collect all sweeps sent to us and handle the refining process. 2. The money will be sent directly to CERF to aid craft artists in need.

What Qualifies as Sweeps Sweeps Consists of the sweepings of the benches and floors of gold and silversmiths’ workshops. Buffing Consists of the materials that are used in the polishing process in the silver and electroplating industries. Both sweeps and buffing material contain various amounts of precious metals that can be reclaimed. The value of what is reclaimed from your sweeps and buffing material will be donated directly to CERF. Because we collect and combine sweeps from many individuals and businesses, we are unable to provide a tax receipt or supply you with specific information about the value of your sweeps donation. Rio Grande , CERF and the artists they are able to assist through your generosity are extremely grateful for your donation.

Shop Our Finished Jewelry Sets

Metals

Tools and Equipment

Beads and Stringing Supplies

Jewelry Display and Packaging

Metal Clay, Glass, Enamels and Resins

Sweeps for CERF: Fill a Heart, Not the Landfill

About CERF

How the Program Works

What Qualifies as Sweeps