If you’re new to crafting jewelry, you may have heard or read about people talking about different types of jewelry findings. So what are these, anyway?
Different jewelry findings include clasps, metal beads, etc., among other metal components used in beaded jewelry. The metal can be sterling silver, fine silver, gold in various qualities ranging from ten to twenty-four karats, gold-filled, gold vermeil, niobium, or a base metal such as copper, pewter, surgical steel, or brass that has been electroplated with a thin layer of silver, gold, copper, or other finishes.
Hundreds of different findings are made for use in jewelry, so selecting precisely what you want might be difficult – especially if you intend to wear the item tonight.
Because availability fluctuates, get into the practice of purchasing gorgeous clasps and other findings as you encounter them. Establish a collection of high-quality metal components to pick from so you don’t have to wait or stop and go shopping to complete a project. Because silver and gold prices appear to be rising constantly, you’ll be pleased you developed a collection at last year’s levels.
Types of Jewelry Findings: Essential Bits and Bobs
Types of jewelry findings, in addition to clasps and ear wires, include:
Jump rings are a must-have in any jewelry shop. Jump rings are the go-to finding for cold attaching two objects together. They’re typically used to join a clasp to a chain or drop an ear wire. Jump rings are used to link jewelry pieces, and constructing a piece without them might be difficult. In many jewelry-making applications, the jump ring is the cold connection of choice. Soldering jump rings together is the only method to keep them together indefinitely. Some jump rings are pre-soldered, while others are solder-filled and may be soldered shut with a butane torch.
You might also use split rings (similar to key rings), which are pretty secure. The most common gauge for jump rings is 18 to 22 gauge. If you don’t solder it, 22 gauge is already very thin and easy to distort, as well as easy to be pulled apart. Choose a size between 18 gauge and 21 gauge if you merely want jump rings that you can shut with pliers and keep secure.
Split rings feature two ends, exactly like jump rings; however, the ends of split rings are visible and might irritate your skin when worn as jewelry, whereas the ends of jump rings are flush with each other. In addition, split rings can snag sweaters and hair due to their exposed edges, mainly if they have spread.
Cones
Before installing a clasp, beading cones are used to collect multi-strand motifs or woven wires at the ends of a necklace. Cones are also commonly used to produce jewelry tassels. Bead cones help finish multi-strand designs, make tassels, and cap big beads, among other things. Our extensive range of jewelry cones will offer a beautiful geometric texture to your designs while also providing professional flare. They may be used as end caps to highlight a focal bead within a necklace or bracelet design, or they can connect many strands of jewelry so you can quickly attach a clasp.
Bead caps are used to improve the style of beads and can be applied on one or both ends of the bead. Bead caps can be added to dangles or utilized to highlight larger beads in your creations. In addition, they nestle perfectly with other beads to attract attention to specific beads.
Bead caps look fantastic strung on each side of beads. They add personality and flare once attached to the endpoints of jewelry like bracelets and necklaces to “close” completed designs. A decent rule of thumb is to use bead caps that are at least 1mm smaller than the bead.
Hook and eye clasps make it simpler to connect to the rings (or eyes) that come with them, ensuring that your creations are both attractive and valuable. Our hook and eye clasps are available in sterling silver and gold-filled, ensuring that you get just what you need to complete your necklaces and bracelets in style.
Bead tips conceal and preserve knots while providing a secure attachment to jump rings and clasps. Bead tips provide a clean and professional finish to jewelry designs. Bead tips, when completed, resemble little metal beads at either end of the string. Common bead stringing threads work well with bead tips. Bead tips on bracelets are often discouraged by experts. Bracelets are subjected to far greater use than necklaces, and the loop end of the bead tips is exceptionally flexible, making them more likely to come undone on a bracelet.
Head pins are one of the most often used jewelry components and are a favorite of many jewelry designers. A headpin is just a length of wire with a “head” (stopper) on one end that prevents beads from falling off. Head pins are one of the most often used jewelry components and are a favorite of many jewelry designers. A headpin is just a length of wire with a “head” (stopper) on one end that prevents beads from falling off.
With the remaining piece of wire, fashion a simple loop or a wrapped loop with jewelry pliers once the beads are placed onto your head pin.
Make your beady charms to add to bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and (let’s face it) just about everything else you want to decorate with head pins. Assemble your own beaded charms and dangles with eye pins, build links for rosaries and handcrafted chains, and connect independent jewelry components with eye pins.
Delicate metal chains are used in jewelry to wrap body areas such as the neck, wrists, and ankles and act as hanging places for beautiful charms and pendants. Unlike industrial or other chains, jewelry or body chains are created for aesthetic reasons.
The fundamental distinction between a chain and a necklace is that a necklace generally contains a pendant, charm, or other item attached to it. A chain, on the other hand, rarely does. Chains can also be far thicker than necklaces. Chains have been used as decoration by humans for thousands of years. Because it is a visible representation of both riches and achievement, the chain has long been linked with prestige. You should be set for life with someone who can provide for you if you attach yourself to a “strong” companion.”
What Should I Look for In A Bracelet Clasp?
When choosing a clasp for a bracelet, you should follow a few guidelines:
– Make sure the bracelet is secure so you don’t lose it.
– The bracelet clasp should be interesting to look at and in keeping with the piece’s aesthetic or tucked away or practically unnoticeable in the design
– Keep the clasp short to prevent displaying a wide area of the arm or a gap between bracelet ends.
– For quality, value, and endurance, many crafters prefer sterling silver findings and gold-filled findings to base metal findings.
– Snap clasps are secure, well-made, and come in eight different plated finishes, including copper, gunmetal, gold-plate, silver-plate, antique gold, antique silver, antique brass, and pewter.
Each type of clasp may be the ideal option for a specific kind of necklace or bracelet. Small spring rings and lobster claws, for example, are ideal for delicate necklaces that require a subtle clasp. The size, weight, and style of the clasp should all be in proportion to the jewelry piece’s size, weight, and style.
Personal preference is another consideration when choosing a clasp. Because it was used on your all-time favorite bracelet, you may opt for a specific clasp style. However, it’s an excellent choice for you because it’s familiar and simple to tighten.
What are the benefits and drawbacks of wearing magnetic clasps on your bracelets?
Magnetic clasps can be pretty helpful for those with arthritis or other difficulties tying bracelets with one hand or necklaces behind the head. Still, they also have some disadvantages.
A magnetic clasp can also easily fall apart, especially if you stack many grocery bags on each wrist. A treasured bracelet might be gone forever if it falls off in the parking lot undetected.
What exactly is niobium?
Niobium is a metal not comprised of steel and is uncommon. If you or someone you make jewelry for has an adverse sensitivity to other metals, such as nickel, this is a great option. When exposed to room temperature air, niobium becomes a gray solid metal with a blue tint. It’s frequently anodized with oxides to produce a variety of attractive hues that don’t require the use of dyes.
Niobium is utilized in superalloys to create components for jet engines and rockets in other sectors. It’s also utilized in medical equipment like pacemakers and welding. In addition, niobium is ideal for earring findings since it is hypoallergenic. You may also buy niobium wire and use it to construct your jewelry.
How do magnets affect jewelry?
Keep in mind that magnets stick to other metals. So if you wear numerous bracelets on one wrist, the magnetic clasps cling together, causing the bracelets to hang unevenly.
If you work near a metal cash register or other metal equipment, the magnetic clasp can drive you insane since it adheres to everything metal. Your bracelet may include every paperclip and staple that met it. A watch on the same wrist as a magnetic clasp may be harmed.
Magnetic clasps, in my opinion, are a brilliant idea for specific individuals and a wrong answer for others. Necklaces endure minor pulling in everyday wear, and we are more conscious of a falling necklace than a falling bracelet. Therefore they function better for necklaces than bracelets. Keep in mind that not all magnetic clasps are created equal. Pry the clasp with your fingers to see how strong it is, and pick the strongest magnetic clasps you can locate.
Adding a 2″ safety chain to each bracelet with a magnetic clasp is one solution to the falling bracelet problem. Always keep the safety chain in place. It gives the bracelet enough length to glide around the hand and can help keep it from becoming lost.
Are toggle clasps reliable?
In my opinion, toggle clasps are a highly secure form, yet I have seen substandard or faulty toggles with posts that are too short for the ring’s diameter. A clasp might easily fall apart if the post is too short. The post must be long enough to be raised, pointed, and placed through the ring’s hole; it must not be too short of falling on its own.
What are horseshoe-shaped jewelry findings?
The small U-shaped tube, also known as a wire guard or wire protector, is a relatively new item meant to enhance the life of your jewelry. It also compels you to leave a bigger loop between the crushed crimp and the clasp or ring, cradling and protecting the flexible beading wire where it joins to the clasp. It functions similarly to a French coil, except that its form is stiff. Wire guards come in sterling silver, gold-filled, silver-plated, and gold-plated finishes.
String a wire guard onto the beading wire before or after stringing the clasp and before passing back through the crimp and beads. The clasp may also move thanks to the wire protector freely. The ones I’ve seen will work with.021″ or thinner beading wire, but more significant sizes may become available.
All About the Types of Jewelry Findings for Earrings
There are many different designs of earring findings to choose from. They can be fashioned of high-quality precious metals, low-cost plated metals, or surgical steel, much like other finds. Because pierced ears are so common these days, pierced-ear types of jewelry findings are significantly more straightforward than non-pierced-ear findings.
J-shaped wire findings with a decorative coil and ball above the hanging ring are French ear wires. Small rubber stoppers come in various shapes, and when worn, they can be put over the pointed end of the French ear wire to prevent earring loss. A bigger, open hook design is currently popular, whereas Bali variations of the French ear wire might feature tiny, twisted wire hooks. These are all common types of jewelry findings.
A metal ball on a straight wire placed through the hole in the ear, generally with a ring below the ball for hanging a wire, chain, or headpin with beads, can be found on posts. The ball may be replaced with a Bali bead or other metal motif in decorative variants of the post.
One of my favorite shoe styles is the lever-back. They’re slim and almost unnoticeable when worn, and the spring-hinged back opens and shuts to keep the earring secure.
Another popular pierced earring type is hoops. Headpins can hang beads from the hoop, or beads can be strung directly onto the hoop. Alternatively, a pattern can be created by wrapping wire or thread around the hoop. The ornamented component can be worn straight through the hole in the ear or suspended from another earring finding, depending on the hoop style.
What can you use to make earrings if the wearer is allergic to metal?
Metal allergies affect about 10% of the population, with nickel being the most common. Some people are allergic to everything, while others have a slight reaction after repeated exposure. Better grade gold and silver, surgical steel, and niobium findings are some feasible options for persons with metal sensitivities. This is one of the reasons why it’s critical to know the types of jewelry findings.
How do I choose the best findings for my earring design?
The style you select is determined by various criteria, including personal desire, comfort, security, and the loop’s height. Next, consider where you want your design to be positioned. For example, some designs allow the ornamental section of the earring to dangle closer to the earlobe, while others generate a more significant drop from the ear.
