Handmade Jewelry-Making Basics – What is a Lobster Claw Clasp?

Lobster claw clasps make up a second category of many different jewelry closures for fine jewelry, mass-market costume jewelry and handmade artisan jewelry. Lobster claw clasps are the single largest category of jewelry closures.

Jewellery designers can clearly communicate their desires for jewelry components to local bead stores, customers and jewelry supply vendor by learning the terminology and function of jewelry components.

What is a lobster claw clasp?

Many people use the term “lobster claw” generically for a family of clasps with triggers that open and close the clasp.  Lobster claw clasps lock around a jump ring or a link of chain to hold the two ends of a jewelry piece together.  Other jewelry uses include attaching charms or doubling as a clasp and a visual centerpiece in the case of a fancier claw clasp.

A jewelry purist will claim only oneshape of claw clasp is a true “lobster claw”; these clasps have long, straight oval shapes.  Oval trigger and rounded trigger clasps are quite symmetrical except for the trigger while the specialty Pelican clasps are curved clasps with the trigger on the outer convex surface.  Balloon clasps are similar to oval trigger clasps, but with a longer oval shape and thinner construction; balloon clasps will weigh less than a similarly sized lobster claw or trigger clasp.  Other specialty clasp shapes include heart trigger clasps, elephant trigger clasps and cat trigger clasps. lobster claw finding

Swivel Clasps

One style of trigger clasps called swivel clasps has a base containing the anchor ring rotates separately from the rest of the claw.  This clasp style may offer the wearer more comfort by giving another “degree of freedom” to the bracelet, necklace or anklet.

Lobster claw materials

Lobster claw metal materials will generally match a dominant metal in the jewelry piece.  Lobster claw materials include Platinum, Palladium, karat Gold, Gold-Filled, Sterling Silver, Titanium, Surgical Steel, plated Surgical Steel and plated Brass.  DIY jewelry will most often use gold-filled, sterling, plated surgical steel or plated brass clasps.  Plated surgical steel and plated brass clasps may have finishes of gold plate, antiqued gold plate, silver plate, antiqued silver plate, antiqued brass, bright copper, antiqued copper, gunmetal/black nickel and imitation rhodium.

Toggles versus Lobster Claw clasps

Some people prefer jewelry toggles over lobster claw clasps, considering toggles as more stylish than lobster claw clasps.  However, lobster claw clasps usually offer more secure fastening than do toggles because toggle bars may slip out of their loops, even if the pieces are appropriately sized to the wearers.

Lobster claw flaws

The most common flaws of lobster claws, more common with inexpensive costume jewelry clasps, are lobster claw bases with little strength which fatigue and break with ungentle wire wrapping or wearing,lobster claw triggers that stick and lobster claw triggers with springs that “pop.”

Judging the size, weight, cost, appearance and ease-of-use of lobster claws is part personal preference and aesthetics and part experience working with different jewelry components.There is no one perfect clasp design for all jewelry applications.  Fortunately, there are many different designs of lobster claws to accommodate the unique styles of amateur and expert jewellery makers.

Jewelry Making Series – How Pearls are Mounted on Naked Silver Rings

Pearls are pure and precious. They come in various sizes, types, colors and shapes. They can be threaded to make necklaces, set with gemstones to make mind blowing earrings and mounted on rings to bond people together. The rings are set in metals like gold, platinum and silver. The process is basically infusing the stone or gemstone with the metal of choice in a way to create design.

Silver in its pure form is soft and so has to be mixed with other metals so that it is workable. The alloys of silver thus formed are used for making jewellery, vessels, shields etc. Sterling silver is one of the mixtures of silver. The advantage of this is that it does not get tarnished and hence maintains the jewellery in its shining form. Pearls are drilled half way and then the hole thus created is inserted with the setting bar and then glue is used to cement it to the metal. This is the basic process followed while mounting pearl on silver. There are many different types of settings that can be followed.

A prong setting is one in which the pearl is mounted inside the metal casket and is held in place by prongs or claws. The pearl and metal look very delicate and pretty. A variation of this is the bar setting in which bars are used instead of prongs to hold the gem. This is not a very secure setting even though the metal is exposed to the maximum. The bezel setting is unique and popular because in this the pearl is held in place by a circular metal band very securely. This setting is slightly more expensive than the prong setting but is definitely more durable. The flush setting sees the pearl set in the hole surrounded by metal that is pressed around its rim. The setting is very sleek and smooth.

There are very expensive settings like the tension setting. These settings use very strong metal and are customized to meet individual needs. The band of metal encircles the pearl and is the only binding between the gemstone and the metal. If these settings are resized then they might lose their strength needed to protect the gemstone. Channel settings use more than one gemstone. These rings do not have any focal point. The stones are set into channels in the ring band. The channels have narrow strips of metal on either side to hold them in place.

The invisible setting is a very modern design. The attachment of the pearl to the metal is not visible in this design. The stone rests stably attached by a band. These rings can be resized easily. The most elegant and beautiful setting is that of the pave setting. Ideally used for diamonds the ring is studded completely with stones in minute depressions with prongs. These rings are very expensive. The cluster setting design makes use many different gem stones to make patterns of flower or butterfly. The small gems create an illusion of a larger gem.