Types of Jewelry Clasps and Connectors Available

In this article, we will look at some of the major types of clasps and connectors available which can be used in making jewelry. The three main types of clasps that we are going to look at include slide lock clasps, toggle clasps and magnetic clasps.

Magnetic Clasps- are clasps which use magnetic charges to attract opposites. The positive charge on one end of the jewelry piece attracts the negative charge on the other end of the jewelry piece. The advantage is that you don't need to screw one end of the jewelry to the other end to hold the pieces together. For example, if you are wearing a necklace that has magnetic clasps, all you need to do to fasten the two ends is get one end close to the other hand. Due to their magnetic powers, they will attract opposite charges and hold the piece in place.

Magnetic clasps are available in many different styles today. These days, there is a huge demand for them because of their ease of use in jewelry making and also for those who wear jewelry. Even those jewelry lovers who like to keep long fingernails have no problem in fastening jewelry with magnetic clasps. But, it is important to note that jewelry which comes with magnetic clasps must not be worn near computers or with pacemakers.

Toggle Clasps - apart from jewelry making, toggle clasps are used for a number of other reasons. This clasp consist of a square or a circle section and a bar section. The bar is rotated to an angle of 90 degrees and then inserted into the circle to form the connection. These clasps work great as well because the bar is longer than the circle. The proportion is normally 4:3 and this allows both the ends to fit securely in place without the bar slipping through the circle.

Slide Lock Clasps - there are two tubes involved, one of which is smaller than the other in diameter. Each of the two tubes has loops to which the bead portion or the gemstone part of the jewelry piece is connected to. The tube that is smaller will slide into the larger one and then it is twisted to hold the two pieces together in place.

There are many different types of connectors used by jewelry designers. But two of the most commonly used include:

Jump Rings - is a circular ring of metal which come soldered or unsoldered. They are quite easy to make, but they are easily available from most jewelry suppliers. A jump ring is mostly used to connect one component of the jewelry to the other.

Split Rings - quite similar to a jump ring, but instead of being soldered or unsoldered, it is like a spring which can continue around just like the ones you see in keychains. They are available in many different metals and can be used to connect a charm or a pendant to a jewelry piece.

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