How to Repair Jump Rings on Jewelry

Jump rings hold pendants to chains or attach the pieces of a clasp to the ends of a necklace or bracelet. When these jump rings fail, your precious jewelry is in danger of becoming junk.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Jump ring
• Two pair of needle-nosed pliers

1. Identify the ring type. A jump ring is a simple circle or oval with a cut on one side. Jump rings are easy to replace. A soldered ring has no cut in the side (it has been soldered closed), and a split ring is shaped like a key-chain ring.

2. Purchase a replacement ring. Jump rings are commonly available in craft stores. Look in the beading and jewelry-making section. Choose a style that will coordinate with your jewelry.

3. Remove the old jump ring if it is still in place. Be sure not to damage the remaining chain, clasp or pendant.

4. Prepare your tools. Jump rings need to be held while you work with them, but metal tools can scratch the ring and the jewelry. The solution is covering the ends of your pliers with a layer of duct tape, which prevents scratching.

5. Open the new jump ring. Twist the cut ends of the ring away from each other to create a gap. Try not to open the ring by spreading it apart directly. If you spread the ring, you ruin the shape and weaken the material.

6. Attach the new jump ring. Hold the jewelry with one set of pliers and use the other set to twist the ring closed again.

Tips & Warnings

• If your jewelry is attached with a soldered ring, you can snip the ring with wire cutters, creating a split jump ring.
• For connecting jewelry pieces that need extra strength, consider using a split ring (a key-chain style ring). The extra overlapping wire gives the split ring more strength.
• Never use a jump ring to connect string or beading wire, as the thin material will slide right through the cut in the jump ring.

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