Jewelry Making

Hi i am just starting to make my own jewellery and i was wondering if the more experienced could help me with a few things.

1. When i join a pendant to a chain etc, i found that the jumprings didn’t close totally, i was worried that the pendant or chain could come off, so now i use double jump rings. What is the proper way?

2. When i am making earrings etc, i use an eyepin which has one loop but i have to make the loop at the other end to attach the ear hook. The first loop i use to attach a charm.

How can i make my loop look professional? It seems to look a bit messy, i can’t bend the loops small enough! Is there a special type of pliers i should use?

3. Does anyone have some close up photos of the way they close and attach jump rings and the way they deal with making loops.

Hope that made sense!

Thanks so much
1. I would use a split ring instead of a jump ring.

If you are using a jump ring, use two pair of pliers or a jump ring opening tool and twist the two ends away from one another, reverse to close. Never pull the ends straight away from one another. For instance, with the opening facing you, you would pull one end toward you and push the othe away from you.

2. You want round nose pliers. Having added your beads et al and cutting the pin to the needed length, bend the end of your pin at a 45 degree angle then grabbing the end of the wire curve around the tip of your pliers moving down the wire to complete the loop.

I would actually wire wrap for added security. In stead of cutting the pin follow the basic directions above, but form your loop a little high on the pin and continue wrapping the end around the wire 2 or 3 times, keeping your wraps close but not overlapping. Of course, if you do this, you’ll want to make your own eye pins from scratch so that both ends are wire wrapped.

3. firemountaingems.com or beadandbutton.com should both have video tutorials for all of this. You might also consider your local library for books or periodicals on the subject as they would contain photos and diagrams that would be most helpful!

I hope this helps! Good luck and happy jewelry making!

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