Become a Maker Month - All About Jewelry Findings

 

 

What the on earth is a finding? If you are new to jewelry making, the very word “finding” might have you scratching your head. Even if you are a seasoned jewelry maker, the term can still sometimes be confusing. In a nutshell, a finding is a jewelry making component that helps you to connect your beads and other elements together. Findings include jump rings, clasps, head pins, eye pins, earring hooks and more. Think of them like the foundation to your design, or like the hardware. They are the building blocks that you then add wonderful beads, charms, and other adornments to. Findings can be used as an essential design element to secure your beads or as a decorative element. The color of findings you choose helps to set the tone for your design and you can choose to use simple findings that blend into the background or bold findings that become the focal of the design (this is especially true with dramatic earrings hooks and elegant clasps). In this blog post, we are going to take a closer look at some of the most used findings in jewelry making.

Oh, the mighty jump ring! Jump rings are incredibly versatile and can be used to attach clasps, charms, pendants, links and more. They come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, materials, finishes, and wire gauges. You can also choose if you want an open or closed jump ring. An open jump ring has a small slit in the wire which allows you to literally open it up and slip it onto something. Open jump rings are probably the most used type of jump ring. Closed jump rings offer extra security and are great to use as the other half of a lobster or spring ring clasp. You can also use them to connect multiple lengths of chain to or as a decorative design element. The gauge of the jump ring will really be dependent upon its intended use. If you are trying to slip the jump ring through an 8/0 seed bead, you will want a thinner gauge jump ring such as 22 gauge. If you are trying to use the jump ring as the second part of a clasp, a little heavier jump ring is nice. If you want to learn more about jump rings, make sure to check out our blog post all about jump rings. 

 

Split Rings work very similarly to jump rings except that they have a coil design that makes them even more secure. Good uses for split rings include attaching chain, attaching thinner wire elements together, and using as the other part of a clasp. Some people also like to attach charms or heavier items with split rings so that they know they are extra secure.

Are all earring hooks the same? Not even close. Earring hooks can vary widely and let you really set the tone of your design. There are bold and dramatic earring hooks as well as simple and sleek earring hooks. Some hooks are very petite, and some are quite grand like those by the artisan brand Nunn Design. There are also different styles of earring hooks: leverback, post, clip-on, ear wire, hoops, and ear threaders. Another thing to keep in mind is the orientation of the loop at the base of the earring hook. Some loops face forward and some side to side. Choosing the correctly oriented loop can help to ensure that your design hangs correctly.

Just like jump rings, head pins and eye pins really are essential findings that are used ALL the time. Having a good stash of these pins on hand allows you to effortlessly create designs. A head pin is just what its name suggests, a pin (basically a piece of wire) with a head on it. This head prevents beads from slipping off so that you can create dangles and other decorative elements. An eye pin comes with a little loop already made on one side of the wire. This loop opens and closes just like an open jump ring and allows you to link it to other objects. It’s a building block element. When purchasing head pins and eye pins, you will want to consider two things: length and gauge. Keep in mind that the higher the gauge number, the thinner the wire. A 26-gauge head pin is very thin compared to a 20-gauge head pin. As for length, you need to decide what you are using these elements for. If you are making petite little dangles with just a 4mm bicone on each, then a 1-inch head pin will be fine. If you are stacking a bunch of beads together and creating a wrapped wire loop on the end, then perhaps you need a 3-inch head pin.

If you enjoy making strung necklaces, then it’s hard find a more needed finding then crimp tubes and beads. These little metal beads are specially made to be used with crimping pliers to be sandwiched around beading wire creating an extra secure hold. Learn how to use crimp tubes with our tutorial. If you want, you can complement crimp tubes and crimp beads with other findings such as crimp bead covers and wire guards. Need help with these findings, too? We have tutorials for how to use crimp covers and how to use wire guards (also known as cable thimbles). 

Clasps are so fun! Like earring findings, clasps can set the tone for a design. You can choose small petite clasps that blend into the design or bold clasps that become the focal of the design. Some clasps like those by Green Girl Studios are little pieces of art in themselves. Common clasp types include toggle, spring ring, lobster, hook & eye, box, and multistrand. You can either choose your clasp first and build your design around it or create your design and find a clasp that suits it best. If you have a layered chain necklace or a wide bead woven bracelet, then a multi-strand clasp might be best. If you have a hard time getting clasps on and off when wearing jewelry, then consider a magnetic clasp. Think about the function that you want the clasp to perform and then have fun selecting the right one for you and your design. There are literally hundreds of clasps to choose from!

 

Some other types of findings include bead caps, pendants and charm bails, bead aligners and bars, bezels, bracelet and ring findings, buttons, end caps/tubes, chain extenders, and links and connectors. The world of findings is vast and it’s fun to explore!

 

If you want to learn more about how to use these findings in design, make sure to tune into Artbeads Live shows which air 5 days a week, Monday – Friday. In many of these shows, designers will be using findings in their creations and because it is live, you can ask questions about anything you are curious about – including findings!