Tips for Picking the Best Findings

Finish Your Wire Jewelry with Flare by Picking the Right Fittings

Mar 17, 2007

Findings are an essential part of all jewelry, and wire jewelry is no exception. Well chosen findings can make all the difference to an item of jewelry.

Most items of wire and beaded jewelry will be finished off in some way by the use of one or more types of findings of some description. ‘Findings’ is the collective name given to the huge range of jewelry components that complete your work. These include ear wires, clasps, jump rings etc and their importance should not be overlooked.

Picking the right findings to complement and finish your work to a professional standard is essential, yet is often overlooked. How often do you see wonderful handmade jewelry that has been ruined by a cheap clasp or fitting. Picking the right findings to complement your work can make a huge difference and understanding what findings are available will help in your choice.

Types of Metal

When buying findings it makes sense to buy as high a quality as you can afford. The reason being that if you have spent many hours working on a beautiful item of wire jewelry, it would be a shame if your hard work was let down by a poor quality or inferior finding, for instance a clasp that comes undone. It is also a good idea to use similar materials where appropriate, so using silver findings with a silver wire pendant, thus the findings compliment your work.

It is also important to choose findings which are suitable for wear close to skin where appropriate - ear wires and earrings need to be silver, gold or surgical steel etc. It is best to avoid findings made of cheap alloys in this instance in case they cause a reaction with the skin.

Whilst findings can be made – many wire artists or jewelers choose to buy some ready made, perhaps for convenience, or because the finding in question requires specialist equipment to make.

Buying Findings

Shop bought findings can be broken down into a few main categories:

Bead Spacer Bars: Spacer bars are the bars that are used to hold strands of beads apart when making stranded necklaces. These can either by plain or fancy and come in a variety of metals. The number of ‘spaces’ will vary as will the length of the spacer bar.
Header / Head pins: These are pins with either a small bead or a loop at the end, on which beads are strung. These are often used for making earrings, and are extremely popular today for making beaded charmed bracelets. The ends of the header pin can be plain or fancy.
Ear Fittings: Ear fittings break down into two types - those for pierced ears, and those for non-pierced ears. Ear fittings for pierced ears are typically ear pins or posts , and ear wires or hooks. Both types will be sold in a variety of styles, some will have a small bead and jump ring attached ready for you to simply add your earring drop and voila - a finished earring! Ear fittings for non-pierced ears are either ear clips, which clip onto the ear, or screw fittings which screw the earring into place.
Fastenings and Clasps: Fastenings include bolt rings, clasps and other findings suitable for joining two ends of a necklace or bracelet together. The key feature to look for in a good fastening is that it is robust and will not easily come loose. Many items of bead jewelry can be heavy and as such small and delicate fastenings can be inappropriate for use. Whilst clasps are available in a huge variety of metals and alloys, do remember to match the clasp to the quality of the other materials used, for instance use silver or gold with a gemstone bead bracelet, not a cheap alloy which will tarnish or break. There are some fantastic clasps available specifically for beaded items of jewelry and often can be a feature in their own right.
Jump Rings: The humble jump ring is often forgotten about – despite the fact that it is at the heart of most items of jewelry. The jump ring is the small ring which holds drops onto earrings, pendants onto chain, clasps onto wire etc. Jump rings are available in all metals and a wide range of sizes. When opening and closing jump rings twist them gently to open, do not ‘pull’ them open as this weakens the metal.
Chain / Cord Ends: Chain and cord ends finish off a beaded necklace or bracelet. They come in different types and styles. A common one is a Callotte, which is used to finish of the end of a pearl or beaded necklace. It has two half cups which are folded closed at the end of the thread or wire leaving a ring which the clasp is fastened to.
Others: Other findings include fittings for brooches, cuff-links, tie pins etc.

Findings can be bought from all the main jewelry and craft supply stores, such as Rio Grande, Firemountain Gems and Jans Jewels.