How to Choose and Use Jump Rings?

Aug 20, 2024

If you are a jeweler then you are no stranger to the term jump rings and you are surely already proficient in using them. If you are a newbie, chances are you haven't heard of the term jump rings. That's okay, today's article will take you through what jump rings are and how to use them, among other things that a beginner in jewelry making should know.

What is a jump ring?

A jump ring is a metal part used to join jewelry together, and it looks just like a circle, except it's a circle with an opening. You could even say that making jewelry would be a difficult task without jump rings. Here are some of the basic uses of jump rings.

Connecting necklace and pendant
Attach the clasp to a bracelet or necklace.
Extend the length of a necklace or bracelet

How to choose the right jump ring?

Since jump rings play such an important role in the jewelry making process, choosing the right jump ring is especially important. After all, if you choose a jump ring that is not the right size, the jewelry may break. So, next I'm going to tell you how to pick the right jump rings.

The two determining factors that determine the size of a jump ring are the diameter of the jump ring and the thickness of the wire itself used to make the jump ring. If the diameter of the jump ring is bigger, then accordingly, you will have to choose a thicker wire to make the jump ring. This way the jump rings will not break easily.

However, if you are going to the market to buy jump rings, one thing that you need to be aware of is what exactly is the method that the merchant uses to measure the size of the jump ring. As mentioned above, one of the determining factors that determine the size of a jump ring is the diameter of the jump ring. However, some merchants measure the outer diameter of the jump rings directly, while others measure the inner diameter of the jump rings. So when you buy jump rings in bulk, you'd better ask clearly in advance what exactly is their method of measuring the diameter of jump rings. So as not to cause unnecessary trouble in the subsequent use.

What shape of jump ring to choose?

Maybe in your mind, do you think that the shape of jump rings should be round? However, what I want to tell you here is that there are many other shapes of jump rings besides the round ones. Only, the two most commonly used shapes are round and oval. If you want to make sure that your necklace or bracelet won't slip out of the jump ring, you can choose the oval jump ring. You can attach the opening of your necklace or bracelet to an oval jump ring so that the jewelry will be held more securely. This is why oval jump rings have become the choice of most people.

How do I make a jump ring?

Now that you know what jump rings are and what they actually do, you should be curious to know how they are made! So what follows is a step-by-step guide on how jump rings are made.

First determine roughly what size jump ring you want to make and then choose the right size mandrel.
Wrap a loop of the metallic wire you prepared ahead of time around the mandrel. The one thing you need to be careful of when doing this step is that you wrap the metal wire around the mandrel one loop right next to the other. Because each metal loop you wind forms a jump ring, the purpose of keeping the metal loops close together is to make the shape of the jump ring closer to a circle. When you feel you have enough jump rings, you can stop winding.
Carefully slide the metal coil out of the mandrel and secure it to a sufficiently stiff platform.
Get out a jeweler's saw and cut the metal ring down the middle so you get the jump ring in its preliminary form.
Next you need to do some machining on the jump rings. The edges of a freshly cut jump ring are too rough to use straight away. So you will need to use a special jewelry thwart to smooth out the edges of the jump rings. This will not only make it easier for you to attach the jewelry with the jump rings, but also for you to solder the jump rings later.

How to use jump rings correctly?

Now that you have learned how to make jump rings, it is especially important to know how to use them properly. Using a jump ring correctly can be broken down into two steps; one step is to open the jump ring and the other is to close it.

Here's the proper way to open a jump ring:

Preparation tools: here you only need to prepare two flat-nosed pliers
Hold one side of the jump ring with one of the pliers and the other side of the jump ring with the other pliers
With both hands at the same time (be careful not to use too much force), gently twist the sides of the jump ring until the opening of the jump ring opens to the right size. Do not use too much force in this step or the jump ring is likely to be deformed.

Here is the correct way to close the upper jump ring:

Also prepare two pairs of flat-nosed pliers
Two pairs of flat-nosed pliers hold each side of the jump ring and gently twist the ring beyond its original closure, taking care to extend it only slightly.
Twist the opening of the jump ring back to its original closed form again. Wouldn't you think this step is redundant? In fact, doing so will bring the shape of the jump ring back closer to a flat surface.

Article Summary

By now, I think you already have a basic concept of jump rings and how to use them properly. If you want to know more details about making jump rings, you can visit Katway's official website to check out the details.