Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Gold Filled Findings in Jewelry Making

Jewelry findings can serve the purely functional purpose of clasping two ends of a bracelet or necklace together or as an earring post, a purely decorative purpose such as adding texture and glamour to both ends of a bead, or the dual purpose of function and embellishment. Many jewelry findings are beautifully designed and attract the eye in their own right. The key is to choose the right finding to complement a particular piece of jewelry, and that means that sometimes a simple finding style is best. Here are some options for gold-filled jewelry findings, both minimal and elaborate.

Gold filled bead caps: Often in the shape of flowers, gold filled bead caps make even inexpensive beads look fancy. When purchasing, be sure to check the sizes carefully. Bead caps serve a mostly decorative function, but they also keep two beads from rubbing together, which could cause both beads to deteriorate.

Gold filled crimp beads: Crimp beads and crimp covers are the best friends of jewelry designers at all levels. Tiny, hollow crimp beads can be used to separate other beads or to finish off the ends of jewelry pieces in lieu of an unattractive knot. They also help secure clasps.

Gold filled rings: Split rings are made of wire that goes around twice, like a tiny key ring, making the piece more secure. Spring rings have a curved, hollow wire that fits into a hollow, circular tube and is secured by a coiled spring on the inside. Gold-filled spring ring clasp findings are available with either a closed or open attached ring.

Gold filled earring findings: There are numerous options in earring findings because the structure of the finding in large part determines the structure of the finished piece. Types of gold filled earring findings include.
o Post findings with a ball and open ring attached (make sure the earring back is included)
o Plain kidney earring findings.
o Ear-wire findings with a ball, a coil, a ball and a coil, or an open loop.

Gold filled lobster clasps: Also known as trigger-clasp findings, these fasteners are held closed by a spring, just as with spring rings. The lever is opened by pulling back on a small lever and closed by releasing the lever through a jump ring. Lobster clasp findings have attached open rings.
These small pieces of jewelry making parts in general called as findings come in thousands of varieties. Here I had described some major important components and its use in making beautiful jewelry.