Tips, Tricks, And A Tut: Jump Rings

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Above: Jump rings in the making, a finished jump ring coil, and finished rings.

If you’re making wire jewelry, you might want to think about making your own jump rings. The process is pretty simple, you don’t need many tools, and you can make one of those cool bracelets I’ve been doing. Here are some tips, tricks, and a tutorial on just those things.

To make jump rings you will need:
*Wire (I used 20ga copper)
*A mandrel (I used a #5 knitting needle)
*Flush cutting pliers (Or regular cutters, as long as they have sharp tips. You may also cut them with a jeweler’s saw)

As pictured above, start wrapping your wire. Leave a tail up, it will make wrapping much easier. If you leave a tail you can grasp your wire like this:

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Above: A jump ring coil started, hand grasping it firmly (plus a finished coil and some finished rings)

The tail between your fingers keeps the wire from spinning around the coil as you twist it, like the slots do in commercial “jump ring maker” tools. Continue wrapping the wire firmly around.

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Above: An in progress jump ring coil

Because you are using these to make jump rings, you don’t have to worry as much about gaps in between twists of the wire. You do not, however, want to end up wrapping over your previous wrap, so be careful of that happening.

Once you’ve wrapped all your wire up, you can wrap the original tail you left. I usually take the whole coil off the mandrel, flip it, and re-wrap the end that way. I’m more adept at twisting with my right hand and it works better that way for me.

Now that you have a coil, it is a matter of cutting them apart. Some tips for that:
*Have something soft under your work space so the jump rings are less likely to bounce or roll away once cut
*Take your time to line things up parallel, you will make nicer jump rings that open and close properly that way
*It is okay to slightly over-cut or slightly under-cut your wire, rings can be manipulated after they are cut
*Use just the tips of your pliers, it is more difficult to try and cut through several links at once and if it isn’t cutting
*Be sure your pliers are SHARP

Now that you know how to make jump rings, how about an easy project that isn’t chain mail? First, supplies…

To Make One Bracelet:
*27″ of 20ga copper wire (using a #5 knitting needle as a mandrel; or 60 jump rings)
*26″ of 1mm leather cord
*One button of about 3/4″ size (no larger than 1″, you may also use a bead or gemstone)
*At least 60 “E” (6/0) seed beads (more if you want to decorate the ends of your bracelet)

Take your cord and fold it in half. At the halfway point attach your button, bead, or gemstone. I usually do this by threading an end through and tying both halves of the cord in an overhand knot. You can also attach a button using a lark’s head knot. (Animated Knots Website Here)

From here it is a lot of repetition. Slip a bead onto one side of your cord (let’s say the right), then put a jump ring over both sides of your cord, then slip a bead over the other side (left in this case). Keep going until you’ve strung at least 60 beads, ending with the opposite side you started with (again, left in this case). Tie an overhead knot with both ends.

Now you need to measure a loop that’s appropriately sized to make a clasp for your bracelet and then tie another overhead knot with both ends. Decorate the extra or cut it off leaving at least 2 millimeters, so it won’t unravel.

If you want pictures for the steps above, the best tutorial about the technique is on theĀ Gossiping Goddess’ Tutorial Page. I found her page after learning how to make this bracelet from another artist in Mims’ Collective.

Thanks for reading and see you Monday!

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