As a normal individual wearing jewelry, there are a lot of important elements of the jewelry that you may miss. Mostly the focus may be on price, quality, and the appeal of the design. As a jeweler, however, you understand the importance of key elements of jewelry and why you need them. Among the key elements of jewelry, is the jump-ring, a common piece that jewelers should have on the ready. They join two or more pieces together in jewelry.
Whether it is in earrings, necklaces, bracelets, or pendants, jump rings can be useful. The issue, however, is that they can easily come undone, depending on various factors. This begs the question; how do you permanently close them to keep them secure? Well in this post we will look at the different ways you can permanently close jump rings, as well as explain what they are and how they work.
What Is a Jump Rings in Jewelry Making?
Jump rings are classics and essential in every jeweler’s tool kit. Although they go unnoticed, they help hold your jewelry together.
These simple loops are meant to connect two pieces of jewelry. It can be used to connect the earring wire to the charm, or the clasp to the chain, or the pendant to the chain.
They are made in different sizes, shapes, and textures, using different materials, usually metal. Jump rings, however, fall into two categories, that is closed and open jump rings.
Open jump rings are loops that have a slit that allows them to be easily opened and closed. Closed ones are loops that are complete with no openings or slits. For such jump rings, you’ll need to cut them and solder them back together when done.
How Does a Jump Ring Work?
As we’ve already mentioned, jump rings sole function is to hold rings together. How they work may seem very simple, since it is a matter of opening and closing the rings. There is, however, the correct and wrong way of opening and closing jump rings.
Most people may not be aware of this, but incorrectly opening and closing the rings may weaken them and lead them to break, which may end up damaging your jewelry. Since open jump rings are the most commonly used, we will show you how you to correctly work with them.
To start with, you will need two pairs of flat-nosed or snipe-nosed pliers. Use the pairs to hold the jump ring properly on both ends. At this point is where most people make a mistake, by assuming that the ring is opened by pulling both sides apart and away from each other. This will weaken the jump ring and you will not be able to close it securely. The correct way is to twist one side of the jump ring away from you and the other towards you.
Don’t make the opening too big, just enough to fit whatever you would like to connect. Once you have done that, hold both ends with the pairs of pliers again. From there slowly twist the sides back towards each other until both ends are sitting flush. That way, you will have a neat finishing and a secure jump ring.
How To Permanently Close Jump Rings?
If you use the right technique to open and close your jump rings, they should be secure. There are, however, certain factors like the weight of the jewelry that could make the jump ring open up or break. When stringing jewelry also, the string can pass through the slit of the jump ring if it’s not properly closed. As such, permanently closing the jump ring is the best way to ensure it stays closed. The following are three simple methods you can use to permanently close the rings:
1. Soldering.
This is the most common and convenient way of closing jump rings securely and permanently. For this process, you must first ensure that the ring is properly closed, such that both ends are sitting flush together. Once you are sure, hold the ring in place with a pair of pliers and apply flux to the opening of the ring. From here you can place the solder on the joint and apply heat while holding the solder in place until it all melts closing the ring. After it has melted, place it in cold water to cool and you should notice that the jump ring is a complete loop.
2. Fusing.
If you would prefer to avoid using solder to close up the jump rings, there is also the option of fusing the ends of the ring. The process is simple and mainly involves using a tiny flame and concentrating it on the slit, until the ends melt together. Before applying the heat, ensure that the ends are as close together as possible. The downside with this method is that it’s not as convenient for all types of metals. With silver, the finishing will result in a neat and uniform loop, but for metal like brass, you will notice a small dent where the joint has been fused. The heat could also potentially melt and deform the jump ring if you aren’t careful.
3. Instant glue.
This is the best method if you don’t want to use any form of heat in the jump ring. For this, you will need strong instantly drying glue. Luckily, they are easily available. When using the glue, first ensure that the ends of the ring are as close together as possible. Then, hold the ring in place with pliers and drop a small amount of glue on the joint. Once the glue dries up, it will seal the opening, and your jump ring will be secure. This method is, however, more suitable for light jewelry.
How To Close a Jump Ring Without Pliers?
When it comes to opening or closing jump rings, pliers, especially the flat-nosed ones are very handy. They make the whole process simpler by either helping with gripping or holding the jump rings securely in place. But what happens when you don’t have pliers in hand when you need them?
Luckily you don’t necessarily need pliers to work with jump rings. If the jump rings are large enough, you can use your hands to twist them closed. For extra grip, you can use the kitchen mitt while working with the rings. Kitchen tongs are also great alternatives for pliers when handling larger jump rings. They may not be as secure at griping but they are better than nothing. If the rings are too small, then it may be harder to use your hands or tongs, but you can use tweezers. They are like tiny pliers and would therefore be perfect for the job.
Conclusion
Jump rings are essential when it comes to making any jewelry. It is also easy to work with them if you have the right tools and the correct knowledge of how the rings should be handled.
Open jump rings are more common than closed jump rings, but you can and should always permanently close the rings to ensure that they are secure and that your jewelry piece will not come apart.
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Tiger is a fashion&jewelry lover. He is also a fashion jewelry manufacturer that help thousands of small business to grow and also do business with some big fashion jewelry brands. He is a truly metal expert and he will share some information you are looking for.