Kinds of Clasps

Jewelry clasps make it convenient to wear necklaces and bracelets.

Any necklace or bracelet that's too small to be pulled over the head or hand must be fitted with a jewelry clasp. Metal jewelry clasps have been used for centuries and there are a variety of mechanical types. These clasps have different advantages, modes of functioning and give different shapes and aesthetic qualities to jewelry designs.

Spring Ring Clasp

The spring ring clasp is the most common jewelry clasps. This clasp consists of a tiny partial ring formed from a hollow cylinder of metal. Inside the cylinder is a thin, spring-loaded metal piece that, when retracted via a tiny lever, opens the ring to allow a ring from the other side of the jewelry to be placed inside. When the lever is released, the clasp closes securely.

Barrel Clasps

Barrel clasps consist of two barrel-shaped metal pieces. These two pieces have male and female ends; one end screws inside the threads of the other, much like a bolt screwing into a nut or a bottle cap screwing onto a bottle.

Magnetic Clasps

Magnetic jewelry clasps are two metal-coated or metal-set magnets cut in the shape of short, flat cylinders. Each clasp is made so that one side features a magnet with its positive-charged side outward, and the other with the negative-charged side out, ensuring that the pieces will stick together and hold the jewelry closed.

Lobster Clasps

In function, lobster claw jewelry clasps resemble miniature versions of spring-loaded carabiners, such as those used in rock climbing or sold as keychains or water bottle hooks. In form, the clasps resemble their namesake. Unlike carabiners, the spring-loaded hinge portion is controlled by a tiny lever on the opposite side of the clasp. Like ring clasps, the mechanical portion of the clasp is fitted with a basic ring on the other side of the clasp.

Box Clasps

A box clasp looks and works much like an old-fashioned seatbelt. One side of the clasp consists of a box into which is inserted a tab on the other side of the clasp. The tab clicks into place inside the box and cannot be removed until you press a release button on the top or side of the box.

Hook And Eye

A hook and eye clasp is merely a hook-shaped piece of metal on one side and a loop or second hook on the other side. This simple design is one of the least secure, but some designs are made more secure through more complex systems of curled loops that make it difficult for the eye piece to slide off the hook on its own.

References

• Land Of Odds: Jewelry Clasps