How To Make Your Own Jump Rings For Jewelry

Jump rings are the links used between chain and clasp, used to attach charms, suspend pendants and can even be used to make a complete chain. They are probably one of the most used, most common jewelry findings in the jewelry industry. They come in different sizes, shapes and materials and are used by almost every jewelry maker on Earth.

This is why every  jewelry maker should know how to make their own jump rings. It is not that hard and it requires just a few basic jewelry tools. So if making jewelry is a hobby, something you would like to learn or something you do all of the time, you can be making jump rings in a matter of seconds. Making your own jump rings can save you money too.

You will need a cutting device to cut the spit in the ring co it can be opened and closed.

• flush cut wire nippers or
  
• a fine tooth hacksaw
• round nosed pliers or
• a jump ring maker
• a flat jeweler's file
  

About Cutting A Jump Ring

All jewelry makers will most often be set with the easiest method of cutting the jump ring which is using wire nippers. Nippers or wire cutters will do the job perfect. The thing is to make sure and use a pair of cutters that will leave the cleanest, straightest cut possible. The cut deems the quality of the finished jump ring so you want to start with nippers that leave the best finished edge on the cut wire.

Pliers vs. Jump Ring Maker

There is a special tool that can be purchased for about $12. that will assist in making your own jump rings but it is absolutely not necessary to have one. The decision to purchase such a tool should be based on your need. For the $12. spent, anyone could purchase a large variety of ready to use jump rings. It would be best to consider how often you would be making your own jump rings before spending the cash on this specialty tool.You might find it better to spend that same amount of money on fancy beads or a couple of pretty charms.

The one benefit I see in having the tool is the ability to make exact sized rings from any kind of wire. The tool would probably make the jump rings about as uniform as possible where making them on round nosed pliers can be a bit tricky.

The solution to sticking with the round nose pliers is in having plenty of practice. Practice makes perfect they say. A bonus benefit in using pliers to form your jump rings is that you can change the shape of the jump rings you make. The standard jump ring tool makes round rings in about 4 or 5 sizes. This limits the possibility of creating jump rings that are unique to the design you might be working on.

Let's say you would like to make oval jump rings or triangle shaped jump rings. That would not be possible using a standard jump ring tool. Another situation might be where you are using a particular kind of metal and you can not seem to locate ready to use jump rings in the same wire you are working.

Further more, if you need extra large jump rings to go with a jumbo chain, the jump ring tool might not produce a jump ring large enough to fit your design. Though there is a larger tool made for making larger jump rings, the cost for this tool is about $20. Now you are back to the question of "money spent vs. necessity?". Again this is something to think about and consider before you spend.

1. Grasp the tag end of your wire and place it in the center of the round nose pliers.
   
2. Grip the wire firmly with the pliers while wrapping the wire flat against the pliers nose.
3. Wrap all the way around the nose prong until you have completed a circle with the wire.
4. Remove the wire circle from the prong.
5. Using flush cut pliers, carefully nip the circle off of the length of wire.
6. Secure each end of the wire circle so that they meet flush, end to end.

There is a finished jump ring. Now it can be opened when needed to connect a jewelry element to your jewelry.

A Few Tips About Jump Rings

• Smaller rings can be made at the tip of your round nosed pliers.
• For very large rings a dowel rod measured the size you need can be used to wrap the wire around.
  
• The opened ends of the jump ring may be filed if there are jagged edges on the wire ends. Use a flat jewelry file for this.