How to Make Wire Clasps

Make clasps for jewelry pieces using only wire.

While premade clasps are available at any craft store in a variety of finishes and styles, sometimes making one can add to the artistry of a piece of jewelry. Wire clasps can also be fashioned in the event that you have run out of clasps or cannot find a clasp in the correct color. They are no more difficult to create than any other wire-wrapped piece, and should be among the first lessons in any wire wrapping tutorial.

Things You'll Need

• 14-gauge wire
• Round-nosed pliers
• Flat-nosed pliers
• Wire cutters
• Ring mandrel, dowel or other cylindrical item about the size of a finger
• 3 O-rings
• Necklace or bracelet you wish to attach the clasp to

Instructions

1. Cut two pieces of 14-gauge wire to about 3 inches long.

2. Place the tip of a pair of round-nosed pliers at the very end of one piece of wire, and curl it around, forming a circle. Pinch it tight with flat-nosed pliers. It should look like a small, tight spiral when you are done.

3. Wrap the wire around a ring mandrel, dowel or other cylindrical item about the size of a finger in the opposite direction to begin forming an "S" shape. Remove the mandrel and use the round-nosed pliers and your fingers to create a tighter "S."

4. Grip the end of the wire with the middle part of the round-nosed pliers and curl the wire again in the opposite direction. What you will wind up with is an "S"-shaped piece of wire with a small, tightly curled spiral at one end and a spiral with a hole in the middle at the other end.

5. Attach an O-ring to both the hole in this side of the clasp and to the end of the necklace or bracelet you are creating the clasp for.

6. Make a "U" shape out of the second piece of wire by curling it around the round-nosed pliers. Pinch it together so it becomes a "V" with a rounded point.

7. Curl each end of the "V" around the round-nosed pliers, toward the inside like a heart. Curl the wire all the way in, closing the circles. Make sure the holes are big enough to allow for O-ring attachment.

8. Attach an O-ring to each of the holes and then attach both O-rings to the other end of the bracelet or necklace.

9. Close the clasp by threading the open end of the "S"-shaped wire through the hole inside the "V"-shaped wire.

References

• Beading Daily: Creating a Wire S-Clasp