How to Make Necklaces, Part 1

In my last post, I showed the tools I use. Now let's show how they can be used to make some jump rings and connect findings to a chain! Apologies in advance for the quality of the photography. I only have the standard human allotment of limbs, and I am trying to use a camera phone to shoot pictures of projects that require two hands.

I have some heavy gauge and very soft wire, so I started by making two large jump rings. One will hold the steampunk clockwork as a pendant, and the other will be what the lobster claw clasp latches to as a closure.

Using the largest portion of the round nose pliers at the base, I formed a bit more than a full loop of wire. Then I used the flush cutters to trim down to a proper circle and make faces that would butt together cleanly.

I also used a leftover bit of stiffer, smaller gauge wire on a narrower portion of the round nose pliers to form smaller jump rings to link the chain ends to the clasp and a big ring.

As for proper use of jump rings, it's difficult to describe adequately in text or with the bad photos I took, so I must defer to the following video:

And lastly, I used the second large jump ring to loop through my intended pendant pieces and around the chain. Had I wanted the pendant to be fixed on place, I could have looped through a link, but I want this to remain free to float, so to speak.

So there you have it: using round nose pliers to make your own open jump rings. Of course, it's easier to buy pre-manufactured jump rings, but occasionally you need to make something specific to a project. You can also use these tips to fix broken clasps or reattach lost pendants. Be sure to follow me for more!