At this level, you will require few tools: wire cutters or a jeweller's saw, a mandrel (a shaped metal bar used to bend wire in a certain pattern) and, if you're using wire cutters, safety glasses. Wire cutters allow you to determine the diameter of your jump rings more accurately. You will also require wire.
The first step is to wrap your silver wire around the mandrel, taking care that the coil is perpendicular to the axis of the mandrel. Whatever your choice, you want to create even rings and this is best achieved by pulling the wire tight as you wrap it and keeping it under tension. Once you have used your silver wire, you can then slide the resulting coil from the metal bar.
Cutting the rings from the coil can be done in two ways and this is a matter of personal taste. Wire cutters can be used to cut excess wire from one side of the coil and then it is simply a case of cutting rings from the wrap. As a matter of embellishment, the rings can be cut either using slanted or perpendicular cuts. Some wire cutters make a flat cut on one side, which can result in a flat cut on one end of the jump ring and a slanted cut on the other, meaning that the ring itself would never close properly. To prevent this, you will need to snip the end of the coil flush, before making the next cut to create another ring.
If you are using a jeweller's saw, a good idea is to run a length of masking tape along the coil and hold the rings together, before cutting into the coil itself. You may want to cut from the outside of the coil and into the centre or, alternatively, from inside the coil out. The gauge of the silver wire and the density of your jump rings will inform you which the best course of action is.
Jump rings are extremely useful components to jewellery making and relatively simple to make although, if you have never done it before, you must expect to make a few mistakes. Once you have mastered the art, you will be able to turn out jump rings of different shapes and sizes, adding a new dimension to your jewellery-making.
Adam Hunter - E-commerce Marketing Manager of cooksongold.com. Cookson Precious Metals offer a choice of supplies from over 10,000 products including gold and silver wire, jewellery findings, tools, precious metal clay and precious metal sheet - gold, silver, platinum and palladium plus technical information for jewellers, jobbers, designer, craftsmen, artisans and students.
For interviews, quotes, images or comments contact:
Adam Hunter
E-commerce Marketing Manager
Tel(DDI): +44 (0) 121 212 6491
E-mail: adam.hunter@cooksongold.com
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