Open and Close a Jump Ring
by Rena Klingenberg. © 2003-Present Rena Klingenberg. All Rights Reserved
Here’s the right way to open and close a jump ring so it will keep its perfect circle.
The proper way to open a jump ring is to twist it open, so that it looks like this:
Important: Never try to open a jump ring by pulling it open or unrolling it. It’s almost impossible to get it neatly rolled up into a circle again.
Supplies and Tools:
- jump ring
- 2 pairs of jewelry pliers – flat-nose and/or chain-nose
Tutorial: Open and Close a Jump Ring
Start with your closed jump ring:
Hold your flat-nose pliers in one hand, and your chain-nose pliers in your other hand.
Use the tips of your pliers to grasp the sides of your jump ring, with the opening of the jump ring between the two pliers.
Then twist open the jump ring by twisting one of your pliers toward you, and twisting the other pliers away from you:
Your opened jump ring should look something like this:
Now you can add whatever components you want to string onto the opened jump ring:
Then use your pliers to twist the jump ring shut again.
Make sure the ends of the jump ring are closed without a gap, and that they align nicely with each other:
Your closed jump ring with jewelry component(s) on it should look something like this:
