Jewelry Findings: Choosing Jump Rings Split Rings

Jump rings are a basic building block of many types of jewelry, and are the main component when you make chain maille, a very popular style of jewelry right now.

It is almost impossible to make any piece of jewelry without at least one jump ring. Jump rings are a basic building block of many types of jewelry, and are the main component when you make chain maille, a very popular style of jewelry right now.

Jump rings come in three main styles--soldered jump rings, open jump rings, and split rings.

Jump rings are made of metal wire that is made into a circle or a spring shape, then cut into a circle. Both ends should meet perfectly end to end or a jump ring is not made correctly.

An open jump ring has the cut place in the circle left open. A soldered jump ring is soldered shut at the open spot. A split ring is what you find on many key rings, a ring that is split in a tight spiral horizontally so that you can slide other rings on and off.

Jump Rings are a Basic Jewelry Design Item

Most jewelry designs call for open rings, because a jeweler can fuse or solder the ends together themselves. Jump rings can also be other shapes, but are most commonly used in a circular shape.

Copper Jump Rings

	Beadaholique GC/JR032x5 50-Piece Genuine Open Jump Rings, 5mm, 20-Gauge, Copper These gleaming 5mm jump rings are a great all-purpose size. Our wire gauge puts them at 20 gauge, or .032 Inch thick. Quantity: 50 5mm outside diameter 20 Gauge jump rings. Only $5.95
	18 Ga Antique Copper 5 Mm O/d Jump Ring 350 P. 1 Oz Saw-cut Made in USA 18 Ga Antique Copper Jump Ring Saw Cut 5 MM O/D 350 p. / 1 Oz pkg. Durable Rings Precision Saw Cut, Lead & nickel Free ( Not Plated ) No Lacquer coating. Made In USA Only $6.50

Sterling Silver Jump Rings

	Beadaholique SSJL04 20-Piece Sterling Jump Lock Rings, 4mm, 20-Gauge, Silver A new 'locking' jump ring, that won't come open accidentally. The perfect compromise between the versatility of open jump rings and the security of closed jump rings. You will r... ~~$4.99~~ $2.86
	Beadaholique SSJL06 10-Piece Sterling Jump Lock Rings, 6mm, 18-Gauge, Silver A new 'locking' jump ring, that won't come open accidentally. The perfect compromise between the versatility of open jump rings and the security of closed jump rings. You will r... Only $9.30

Any Type of Metal Wire Can Be Made into Jump Rings

Sterling silver jump rings Jump rings are jump rings no matter which metal that they come in.

The most common jewelry metal is sterling silver, but jump rings are made in every type of gold, silver, copper, brass, and other base metals as well as annodized aluminum which has a color coating on it.

The jump rings pictured here are sterling silver.

How Do You Decide Which Size Jump Ring to Buy?

Jump rings are sized in two ways. First you need to know what gauge wire you want. Wire gauge is measured in numbers, the lower the number, the wider the diameter of the wire. Thicker wire is sturdier, but also harder to maneuver and not as delicate looking.

The other size is the diameter of the jump ring itself. This is usually measured in millimeters. This size is determined by the size hole the jump ring is going through, and how large a space you need to connect to the next jewelry element.

Most jewelers use more than one type and size of jump ring depending on the design, the look they want, and the weight of the item that the jump ring is connecting to.

Split Rings

	Beadaholique SS/1001 10-Piece Sterling Split Rings, 5mm, Silver A handy, all-purpose-size split ring in genuine sterling silver. Great as the female half of clasps, hooks and other fasteners, and to fasten large hooks onto the ends of chains... ~~$5.68~~ $2.35
	Bottle Cap SRSIL-10 Split Rings 8mm, Silver, 100-Piece Bottle Cap Inc. split rings are 8-Milimeter in diameter. They are made from lead-safe nickel-plated brass. Made specifically for use on Bottle Cap Inc. bottle cap pendants. ~~$5.55~~ $5.11

Vintaj Brass Jump Rings

	Vintaj Chain-Nose Pliers with Cutter and Ergonomic Grip, Jewelry Making Supplies Only $10.49
	Vintaj XTL-4008 Special Edition Metal Awl with Expand and Enlarge Jump Rings, Loops Only $3.9

Using Split Rings

Split rings are a kind of jump ring that is split horizontally just like the rings on many key rings. You can slide another jump ring along the split until the two rings are hooked together.

Split rings are best used when you are hanging several items from one ring, just like on a key chain, and do not hold together well if you are taking the items on and off a lot. In most cases, regular jump rings are a better choice.

Jewelry Findings: Choosing Chains | Rolo Chain, Cable Chain, Ball Chain, Long and Short Chain

Whether you are a jewelry designer, or just a person looking for the right chain to hang a favored pendant, choosing the right chain can make your necklace stunning, or just so-so.