How to Open and Close Jump Rings (Without Ruining Them)

If there's one finding every maker reaches for a hundred times a day, it's the jump ring — the little metal loop that joins almost everything to everything else. They look too simple to get wrong, and yet a jump ring opened the wrong way is the single most common reason a handmade piece falls apart.

So this is the short, useful version: what a jump ring actually is, how to read the gauge and size on the label, and the one technique for opening and closing them that keeps your jewelry together. Master this and the rest of jewelry making gets a lot easier.

1. What is a jump ring?

A jump ring is a small metal loop with a single split in it, used to connect jewelry components — linking a charm to a chain, a clasp to a necklace, or one finding to another. Because the loop opens and closes at that split, it's the most-used connector in jewelry making.

Strip jewelry down to its joints and you find jump rings. Each one is a loop of wire with the two ends meeting at a small gap — that gap is what lets you thread it through two things and then close it to lock them together. These glossy gold rings are a 21-gauge round ring, a true general-purpose size: big enough to handle, small enough to disappear into a design. Open jump rings (the kind with that split) are what you want for everyday building, because you can actually get them onto your work. You'll go through them by the handful, which is why they come 300 to a bag.

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2. Reading the label: gauge, size and shape

Two numbers describe a jump ring: gauge (how thick the wire is) and size (the loop's diameter). The catch that trips up beginners — a higher gauge number means a thinner wire. Shape matters too: round rings connect anything, while oval rings hold weight more securely along their long axis.

The label on a bag of jump rings looks cryptic until you know the two numbers. Gauge is wire thickness, and it runs backwards: 24-gauge is fine, 21-gauge is medium, 18-gauge is sturdy. Size is the diameter of the loop. Pick the gauge for the job — thin for delicate chain, thick for anything that carries weight — and the size so the ring is easy to work but not bulky. Shape is the last choice: round rings are the all-rounder, while oval rings put their strength along the long side, which makes them tidy for hanging a pendant or anchoring a clasp where the pull is one-directional.

Gauge	Wire thickness	Best for
24g	~0.5 mm (fine)	Delicate chain, light charms
23g	~0.6 mm	Everyday earrings, small pendants
21g	~0.7 mm (medium)	General-purpose connecting, necklaces
20–18g	~0.8–1.0 mm (sturdy)	Heavier pendants, bracelets, durability

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3. The one rule: twist, never pull

Open a jump ring by twisting the two ends sideways — one toward you, one away — never by pulling them straight apart. Pulling springs the wire out of round so it can never close flush again, and that gap is exactly how charms escape and jewelry falls apart.

Here's the technique that does all the work. A jump ring is opened and closed by twisting, not by spreading. Hold each side of the split and move one end toward you and the other away, so the ring opens sideways while staying perfectly round. Do your linking, then twist the ends back until they meet with no gap and a tiny click. The wrong way — prising the ends apart like opening a book — permanently flattens the loop, and a ring that won't close flush is a piece waiting to come undone. It's a thirty-second habit that separates jewelry that lasts from jewelry that doesn't.

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Step by step: How to open and close a jump ring

1. Grip both sides: Hold the jump ring with a pair of pliers on each side of the split, so the opening is at the top.
2. Twist sideways to open: Twist one hand toward you and the other away from you, so the ends move past each other sideways. Never pull the ends straight apart.
3. Add your components: Slide whatever you are joining — a charm, a chain link, a clasp — onto the open ring.
4. Twist closed flush: Bring the ends back the same way until they meet with no gap and you feel them line up. A flush join is what keeps the ring shut.

Final Thoughts

Jump rings are the humblest thing in your kit and the one most worth getting right, because every other finding depends on them holding. Keep a few sizes and gauges on hand — a fine one for chain, a medium all-rounder, a sturdy one for weight — practise the twist-don't-pull motion until it's automatic, and your pieces simply stop falling apart. It really is that small a habit.

Stock your go-to sizes in Jump Rings & Basic Findings (allaboutfindings.com/collections/basic-findings).

Quick FAQ

What gauge jump ring should I use?

For most everyday earrings and necklaces a 21–23 gauge ring works well. Choose a thinner ring (24 gauge) for delicate chain and light charms, and a thicker one (20–18 gauge) when a piece is heavy or needs to be hard-wearing. Remember a higher gauge number means a thinner wire.

What is the difference between an open and a closed jump ring?

An open jump ring has a split you can twist open to add components and then close again — it is the everyday workhorse. A closed or soldered jump ring is sealed shut for maximum security and is used where you never want the ring to open, such as anchoring a clasp.

Why do my jump rings keep coming open?

Almost always because they were opened by pulling the ends apart, which springs the wire and stops it closing flush. Always twist sideways to open and close, make sure the two ends meet with no gap, and step up a gauge if the piece carries real weight.

Keep learning

• What Are Jewelry Findings? A Maker's Plain-English Guide to the 6 You'll Actually Use
• Jewelry Chain Types Explained: Cable, Rolo, Ball & Drawn Link
• Earring Findings, Explained: Ear Posts, Leverbacks & One-Touch Hoops