Stuff We Love: Oval Jump Rings

"Why oval jump rings?" you ask?  For one, the opening is on the long side in an oval jump ring.  When I first began making jewelry, I made a common rookie error.  I crimped my beading wire directly onto an open jump ring.  What tends to happen is that the wire is thin enough to eventually find its way through the opening, causing your necklace or bracelet to fall away from the clasp.

I've since learned that there are many remedies for this problem, such as crimping your wire around a closed jump ring and then using an open one to join the clasp, using a jumplock ring, a split ring, or (last but not least) an oval jump ring.  When the wire is attached to an oval jump ring it will naturally pull toward either end, nearly eliminating the risk of the wire slipping through the split.

They are also great for joining chain.  Since many of the more traditional styles of chain feature oval links, these handy little jump rings blend right in.

Another reason we love oval jump rings is that they have a narrow profile.  This is especially prudent when you are making bracelets.  Who wants to be wearing a sleek bracelet with obtuse round jump rings sticking up and flopping around?  Not I! Sarah calls them "The Stealth Jump Rings" and swears by the 3mm x 4mm size.

Finally, I love to hang tiny charms from them and string them in between various beads to enhance the visual interest of some of my pieces.  Since they are narrow, there isn't a chance that the adjacently strung beads will accidentally slip through the jump ring.  Also, since they are long, the charms hang lower than the strung beads, ensuring that they can move freely and be seen.








So, there you go!  What's not to love?  Did I mention that they come in a variety of sizes and finishes?

Enjoy!

-Andrea