Closing Rings Seamlessly

The look of your finished piece is dependent upon the seamless closing of your rings.

The rings need to be closed so that there are no rough edges to snag, or gaps that would ruin the look of your finished piece.

The correct way to open a ring is to twist it open. Do not pull it apart, this will cause the ring to become mis-aligned and you will not be able to re-shape it.

Make sure that the opening of the ring is at the top, then grasp either side of the ring with your two pairs of pliers.

***Twist one side of the ring towards you and one side away from you (see fig 1). This is the correct way to open a jump ring.

If you are left-handed, mirror the action in fig 1 (i.e. open with your left hand moving towards you and your right hand away from you)

When closing a ring, twist each side in the opposite direction pushing slightly inwards as you twist the ring back together
(see fig 2).

Again, if you are left-handed, mirror the action in fig 2.

Close the ring past the point at which the edges would align. Then, pulling apart very gently twist back the other way to align both edges.

The action of pushing inwards as you close the ring causes a small amount of tension. This will keep the rings tightly closed.

If the ring does not align perfectly the first time, repeat from *** in smaller increments until the ring closes and aligns perfectly.

As you work with the rings, the metal becomes "work hardened". Try not to over work the rings otherwise they will break.