You don't always have to order jewelry findings from a specialty store. Many basic pieces can be easily made at home with these instructions and tips.
Creating your own jewelry findings has several advantages: they're easy to make, turn out exactly the size and style you want, and give the satisfaction of knowing that you, yourself, crafted every little piece in your jewelry design. Most of the projects described here are basic wire-work; a few require familiarity with soldering equipment. Whatever your skill level, always use caution, and don't be discouraged if your first few attempts don't work out. It takes practice!
Jump rings (split rings used to attach pendants to necklaces, clasps to chains, or any loop to another) are the simplest findings to make. You'll need a mandrel for this. A mandrel can be a metal rod, wooden dowel, knitting needle, or similar object in the size you want. Use a bench vise to hold the ends of both your mandrel and piece of wire firmly. Wind the wire around the mandrel in a tight spiral. Each full turn will make one ring; it's best to crank out a few extra, in case you need spares. When you have enough, snip off the excess ends of the wire with cutters. Slide the spiral off the mandrel and wrap it in masking tape. This is so the rings won't scatter during cutting. Finally, attach one end of a size 0 blade to a jeweler's saw (a hacksaw-like device that holds a thin, wire-like blade). Thread the spiral onto the blade, then attach the other end of the blade to the saw frame. Holding the spiral down on your worktable or in your vise, carefully saw through it in a straight line. When that's done, remove the masking tape and voila! A row of jump rings.
If you'd like to make a piece of chain and know how to solder, you can modify your jump rings to make links. Apply flux and a bit of solder to the split. Apply heat with your torch to fill the split in. Use an acid pickling solution (commercially available; follow the label's instructions carefully) to remove any oxidation caused by the process. To modify the appearance of the rings, you can put the end of a pair of pliers inside each one and open them to bend the link into an oblong shape. You might strike them with a mallet to make the links wider and flatter, or grip opposite ends of the links with pliers and give a half-twist to make the flat-lying links of a "curb" chain.
Basic clasps are also easy findings to make. Among the simplest is the S-shaped clasp. The length of the wire you'll use depends on your needs; a good way to determine this is to make a mock S in the size you want with a piece of string, and cut your wire to that, allowing a little excess. Bend the wire around two mandrels held in a vise to make the squashed S shape. The ends of the S may be filed slightly and rolled around a pair of round-nose pliers to make graceful, tapered curves at the ends. Use the jump ring instructions above to make loops for the ends of the S to hook into.
Easy pendant attachers can be made by cutting a small diamond shape out of a thin sheet of metal with metal snips. Carefully bend the diamond in half with pliers to make a triangular shape, leaving enough space inside for a chain or cord. Bend the very tips 90 degrees toward each other, so that one fits inside the other and will securely hold the loop of your pendant. Alternatively, you can soldier a jump ring onto the tips.
Attractive earring hooks may be made with scraps of wire that are at least 5.5 centimeters in length. Use round-nose pliers to form a loop at one end for hanging objects. Bend the wire perpendicular to this, creating a length of 3-4 millimeters on which to thread a fine wire spiral or bead, if desired. Now curve the rest of the wire around a mandrel (about 1.5 cm in diameter) held in a vise to make 3/4 of a circle; let the wire curve in gracefully, then bend gently with pliers to make the last half-centimeter point outward (that is, toward the back of the head when wearing). Snip off any excess wire and file away rough ends.
Silver pins on which to string a few beads and close with a loop on the top can be made with soldering equipment. You'll want to create a "bead" of metal on the end of a wire.
Hold the wire with pliers, and heat the end with your torch. Apply a dab of flux to the end and heat it again until the "bead" forms. Make sure it's large enough to cover the hole of the bead or other object you plan to string onto the pin. (Those without access to soldering equipment may wish to use pliers to make a discreet loop on the end of the wire in lieu of a "bead.")
By now you're probably thinking up your own ideas for unique clasps and other findings. Keep a sketchbook with your own designs. Experiment with scraps. You may never want to use store-bought findings again!
