Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Types of Clasps

There are several different types of clasps to choose from when making jewelry. The four most common are the barrel, spring ring, lobster claw and the toggle. I personally like the lobster claw the best. There is really no wrong or right clasp to use, it just depends on the crafters own personal taste and what he or she has had the best results with. Like anything else, you have to be careful when deciding which brand of clasp to purchase. It has been my experience that when purchasing the cheaper brands, the percentage of defective pieces are higher. This isn't good, especially when making jewelry pieces to sell. It's important to give the customer good quality jewelry that he or she will be able to enjoy for years to come. Clasps come in assorted metals including plated metal, sterling silver, gold, pewter as well as others. Fire Mountain Gems carry a great assortment of clasps that can be ordered on their website, by phone or by fax.

2 comments:

Bea said...

Picking a clasp can sometimes take forever! I have some Old Reliables I prefer, too -- mine is the "S" hook. I love that style!

Dave Robertson said...

Hi, JDuvall, you're so right, choosing a clasp can be like opening a can of...um...worms. Such variety! I guess that means clasps are an art form unto themselves, and people really notice them on a necklace/bracelet. (I can't count the times I've seen someone pick such-and-such a bracelet out "because that clasp is just awesome"!) You mentioned one supplier, and if I could I'd like to mention our range of jewelry clasps; I find our prices and styles are usually highly competitive with "those guys".

Cheers!

--Dave
at Rings & Things