Ask the Experts Soldering Jump Rings onto Jewelry Q&A

Hello, I'm a very beginner at jewelry making. I want to learn how to solder jump rings. I'm using gold-plated brass jump rings and wanted to know the best way to proceed. The jump rings that I'm using are very small and I'm wondering how to solder such small jump rings without heating the rest of the jewelry? Are there any alternative ways to do this?

We recommend using un-coated copper, brass, nickel, sterling, sterling filled, fine silver or gold-filled jump rings for soldering. The heat from a torch will ruin any plated jump rings.

To solder jump rings onto finished jewelry, use a third hand to hold the jump ring and let the rest of the piece drape into a cup of cold water to protect any stones, beads or crystals from damage. Some artists use a piece of raw potato as a heat shield, but the heat will travel through the metal the jump ring is connected to, so this may not work. Be sure to test this on something inexpensive first.

You could also consider a cold connection alternative. Use two jump rings or make a double wire wrapped loop for a secure connection without soldering.

- Patti