Jewelry Findings: Choosing Clasps | Barrel, Hook and Eye, Toggle, Magnetic, Lobster

For the purposes of this article, we will be discussing metal clasps made of precious metals like silver or gold, and base metals like copper or brass. Jewelry clasps have evolved quite a bit over the many hundreds of years that humans have been making jewelry. Modern clasps add both function and design to jewelry. Some of the popular clasp styles are hook and eye, toggle, barrel screw clasps, and magnetic clasps.  For very expensive jewelry, safety clasps are still quite popular as well as an additional safety chain along side another clasp.

If you take a look at the picture of the clasp at the right, you will see a traditional filigree pearl safety clasp. This type of clasp is often used for pearls because pearls are heavy, and pull at the clasp through normal wear. This clasp can potentially open, but still stays locked because it has to open twice to come off. Even open, the hook remains fastened around the clasp. To make it even more safe, an additional safety chain can be added. This clasp is available in silver, gold, vermeil, or gold filled, and sometimes can be found in base metal.

Magnetic clasps have become quite popular in the last few years, and they make a good choice for older customers who have more trouble getting a bracelet or necklace on and off. However, be careful when buying magnetic clasps because they need to have strong magnets to stay on when people are wearing them, and they do not work well for heavier jewelry.

Magnetic clasps are magnets so they will stick to other metal objects, and can affect anything that is affected by a magnet like a computer.

If you are looking to join a several stranded bracelet or necklace, the most useful clasps to use are box clasps or tube clasps. These come with two or more rings on each side of the clasp for joining the strands together.

Box clasps are similar to the pearl filigree clasps above in that they have a built in safety, but tube clasps fasten tightly and do not normally come undone readily so they are a good choice also.

Whichever clasp you use, make sure that it is the right size, dimension, and right type of clasp for your jewelry design, then you will feel confident in adding it to your bracelet or necklace.

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