Jump Rings?

Q: When you use a jump ring to attach something, do you do anything to the opening when you bend it closed so it doesn't open again? I read you can put a drop of nail polish on the slit. Does anyone do this, or do you just leave it as it is? Also, I got some, I believe they are called split rings, by mistake. They look like jump rings, but they go round and round like a key chain ring! How do you open these?

A: Depending on what you're doing, you don't necessarily have to open your split ring or jump ring. For example, if you are crimping a strand of beads to a ring, you don't need to open it. In this case, you may want to use a split ring instead of a jump ring to be sure it doesn't open. Someone wrote about using jump rings, though as a 'weak spot' in a necklace for safety - that way, if the necklace gets snagged on something, the necklace will break, not your neck. Any bought finding that you don't have to torment - don't! For example, hanging the earring on the earring wire - you have to form the loop at the top of your earring anyway - open that instead of the one on the earring (of course, if your earring has a wrapped loop on the top, you have to open the loop on the earwire). As far as jump rings go, I swear by my standard - I make my own "figure 8" jump rings and have never had one give way. Jump rings DO have that weak spot, and split rings (even in sterling) just look "cheap" to me - it's that key-ring association. Little split rings are great, because unlike jump rings, it's almost impossible to pull them apart. The best tool to use is split ring pliers. They are available from 'Fire Mountain', and worth the price!

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