Learn popular methods for finishing necklaces and other handmade jewelry with end pieces, crimps, jump rings, split rings, knots and jewelry clasps. Most stringers develop personal favorites. This page is a brief overview with links to more information. If the instructions aren't on the category page, please click into a product's details for more information. For more opinions and examples, you may also want to invest in a couple stringing and beading books, or beading and stringing magazines with good tutorials. Experiment to find the methods that work best for you!
Choosing clasps is a mixture of your own personal preference, as well as your customer type, and the size and weight of your jewelry:
- Customers with fading eyesight often prefer the size and ease of lobster clasps over spring rings.
- Toggles and hook-&-eye sets are easy to put on and take off, but are inappropriate for lightweight necklaces.
- The security of pearl clasps makes them a likely choice for expensive materials.
- Inexpensive spring rings remain popular for most jewelry.
For free tips on choosing cord or necklace wire, see
Stringing Materials & Methods.
For more free tips, see our Updated
Choosing Clasps & Finishing Methods page.
See below for illustrations of tricky parts of a few of the most popular stringing & finishing methods. (Click the titles for more information.)
This page is under construction. Coming soon (ish): mobile-friendly design and new larger images.
Knots
A few of the most important knots for jewelry-making:
Square Knot
Double Loop Knot
Lark's Head Knot
Crimp Beads
(and crimp tubes)very popular for finishing stringing cable (beading wire);
can be crimped + rounded with crimping pliers, or simply flattened with flat-nose pliers
Coil Endsuse with large-diameter cord such as leather and cotton
See Also:
