BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Jewelry Making Jump ring gauges

What's an appropriate gauge for a double strand necklace using chain? It seems the jump rings I have are too flimsy as they often come off.

Jump rings give me trouble too even with light weight stuff. I hope you get an answer.

Let's see. That's a good question. Probably the size/gauge of your jump rings will be determined by the size of those double chains you're using and by the size and weight of your clasp, especially if that's where you're putting your jump rings (i.e., right there connecting the chain or chains to the clasp). You're going to want your jump rings to blend in and look close in size to your clasp and chains.



Probably you'd want to get a few bags of jump rings in different sizes and just see what matches up best to your chain and clasp. In the photo to your right, I'm showing you some sizes (from left to right): 12mm, 9mm, and 6mm. The split rings are on top and the jump rings are on the bottom. The jump rings have a more delicate look, but the split rings offer a little more security. You could also consider soldering the jump rings that you use. That's probably what I would do.

Then there is always the possibility (and my apologies in advance if you already know all about this) that the wrong technique in opening the jump rings is damaging their structural integrity. Opening a jump ring by pulling the ends straight back and keeping them in the same plane will damage it. Opening it as in the photo (twisting the ends in two different directions and moving them into different planes) will enable them to be twisted closed again with no problems.

Hope this helps (also with you, too, Angie)! Feel free to post a photo of those chains/clasp you're working on and we'll all try to advise you from there. Good luck!

How do you use the split rings. They are like key rings. Do you stretch it apart like you do the jump ring or is there another technique? I probably need to take another class.

Yes, they're like key rings, but they are fairly durable. There isn't really a special technique that I know of -- you just kind of wrestle the chain or clasp on the split ring the way you'd get a key on the key ring.

You just don't want to pry those split rings really far open or they might stretch too far out of shape (especially the more delicate ones like the 6mm) but you'd have to stretch them pretty far to do that.

If you use your chain-nose pliers (those pliers with the pointy ends) you can get the split rings to open far enough to slip a chain or clasp on the the first part of the ring so that you can pull it around like a key on a key ring and get it on both parts of the split ring. Hope this helps!

yes it does. thanks.

Excellent! Glad I could help.

Thanks for the detailed answer. But the problem is...if you look at the jump rings you posted, they look about the same gauge. I know the lower the gauge the more sturdy it is (ie, the thicker the metal is). I'm following a design I saw and modifying it some. I could give you the link but the chain they list as being used I believe is a mistake b/c the link and the finished product look totally different. But they used a 7mm 18 gauge jump ring. But I don't know how to determine what gauge to use. And I don't know how to solder. I would be using it by the clasp and to hold the pendants. Oh, and yeah I do know that's how to open/close the ring but thanks anyway.

Anybody else have any suggestions for this situation out there in the forum? Thanks in advance!

I have an evening bag that has a chain strap interwoven with a leather strip. The leather was worn so I pulled it apart. The jump ring had to be opened so that I could restring the chain with black ribbon. It was a heavy duty jump ring but I followed your instructions and closing the ring worked perfectly. I need to tuck the ribbon into the chain so that there is no excess. I was thinking about adding a bead for decoration too but I need to figure out the best way to fasten it and display it.

Thanks for the mini review on jump rings.