https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/jumprings • Posted by GMC Group
Jumprings join pieces together and are therefore one of the most crucial components required in jewelry making. While you can buy them in all shapes and sizes, it is very handy to be able to make your own and is easy when you know how.
Jumprings join pieces together and are therefore one of the most crucial components required in jewelry making. While you can buy them in all shapes and sizes, it is very handy to be able to make your own and is easy when you know how.
Making a coil is the first stage to making jumprings. Once you have done so, you simply need to cut the wire. Use your side cutters to snip off the end of the wire, then cut in a straight line going up the coil, one loop at a time.
As you cut, full circles with a split in the middle will drop off. These are your jumprings.
Opening and closing jumprings Jumprings are a vital component in most jewelry projects, so it is important to be able to open and close them properly. It will make the difference between your pieces staying together and potentially falling apart. Take your jumpring and place it in your chain-nose pliers so they are gripping one side with the split in the middle at the top.
Use your flat-nose pliers (or another pair of chain-nose pliers) on the other side to grip the jumpring. From this stage onward it can be helpful to think of the pliers as extensions of your fingers.
To open the jumpring, twist the two pairs of pliers in opposite directions so that one side of the jumpring goes back and the other goes forward. Never open a jumpring side to side—you always want to go from front to back so that you don’t distort the circular shape of the piece.
You are now ready to thread on anything you want to attach with your jumpring, such as a bead on a loop, a clasp, another jumpring, or a charm.
To close the jumpring you need to use your chain-nose pliers on one side and flat-nose pliers on the other and bring your ring to a close. To close it securely you’ll need to twist the jumpring backward and forward a couple of times using your pliers to move the two sides in opposite directions. You should hear the two sides of the wire clicking as they pass each other. Now bring them to a close in the middle. This "little wiggle" of the jumpring wire is to move the metal, making it tougher, and therefore giving a stronger join to the piece.
You should now have a finished, perfectly closed ring. Do a last check to ensure there is no gap or light passing through the join.