Jewellery Making For Beginners: How To Attach A Necklace Clasp

Starting out in jewellery making can be a little overwhelming. Sometimes it’s hard to know where to start and which techniques to follow. Trust me, I know the feeling… But not to worry, we are here to suggest a very simply, yet effective clasp technique, ideal for necklaces. 

A little about me before we get started… 

I am Annie and I am head of the Digital Marketing at Big Little Store. I LOVE operating our Instagram and working on new blog ideas and I thought it would be a great next step to look in to putting some tutorials together. However, in all honesty, I am pretty new to jewellery making too! For someone who has worked in a bead and craft shop for a year now, it seems about time that I know how to work with them properly. The reason I didn’t start sooner was actually the overwhelming information out there, on different techniques, styles, patterns, tool, etc, etc, etc… and it just put me off! But I finally found some good tutorials that got me going and I have instantly fallen in love with jewellery design. 

I am telling you this because I want to be candid and say I am not an expert at this. However, I would love to share my new found knowledge in hope that it could help someone who is in a similar situation as I am. I also think that this could be a great opportunity to come together as a beading community and simply help each other out. If my technique isn’t one you would suggest, mention it in the comments and we can potentially work together on a different technique tutorial! I want to learn, as much as you… so let’s take this jewellery making journey together. 

How To: Attach a Clasp To A Necklace 

What you will need: 

• 2 Decorative Beads
• 2 Crimp Beads
• 2 Crimp Covers
• 2 Jump Rings
• 1 Lobster Claw Clasp 

Tools you will need for this: 

• Crimp Pliers 
• Flat Nose Pliers 
• Wire Cutters (if you are using Tiger Tail/Wire, as opposed to Thread)
• Tape

So, you have just finished adding your beads to your thread, now it is time to grab those findings and finish your necklace. Before you start, grab some tape and wrap it round one end of your thread/wire, so one end is secure. This makes it a lot easier to just work on one end without worrying your beads are going to fall off. Also, make sure you have enough wire/thread at the other end to make the fastening technique easier. 

Take your decorative bead and slide it onto the wire, followed by the crimp bead and jump ring. Keeping it in this specific order, grab the end of your wire and carefully feed it through the crimp bead, creating a loop around the jump ring. Make sure to keep the wire going through the crimp bead straight, so the two don’t cross over. Then, thread it through the decorative bead also. 
 

Now, pull the wire through so it is nice and tight around the jump ring. You want it to be able to move slightly, but not so much that there is a big gap where there are no beads. You also need to make sure that there is enough room for the crimp cover to fit over the crimp. Don’t worry if this takes a couple of tries to get the right measurements, there is a certain amount of trial and error! 

Now, grab your Crimping Pliers and place the crimp within the small hole space. You want to do one hard squeeze so it crimps into place properly. The crimp will then secure the jump ring and create a secure and unbreakable loop. Feel free to give it a good tug to make sure it is secured properly. (I also like to wear the necklaces around for a bit to test out its security). 

Next, it is time to attach your crimp cover. You don’t have to have this, however it adds a nice, clean finish to your necklace. So carefully place the opening over the crimp bead, making sure it is central. This can be a little fiddly, but again, just be patient and keep practicing. Then, grab your flat nose pliers and gently, yet firmly squeeze the two ends towards each other with the goal of closing the gap. Treat it as if you are trying to close a clam shell! So now you should be left with a secure loop with a jump ring on the end, which will be used to connect with your lobster claw. 

Now, go to the other end of your necklace and remove the tape you added earlier. You are going to repeat the same technique, but this time adding a lobster claw clasp to your jump ring. Using your flat nose pliers and another pair of pliers if you have them, gently open the jump ring and slide the clasp onto it. Then, using the pliers once more, close the gap so the clasp can’t come off the jump ring. 

 And Voilà! You will now have a secure claps attached to your necklace! There are other findings you can use if you want an adjustable chain added. This means you can adjust the length accordingly. But as a starting point, this is a great and neat technique ideal for beginners just starting out. 

But as mentioned at the beginning, if you have a slightly better way of creating a clasp or a step you think others would like to know, feel free to mention it in the comments below! We would love this to be a safe space where like minded designers can ask questions and support one another.