Design Swarovski Jewelry Tool Used Help Page

Always wear saftety glasses

Click on a photo to see a larger photo.

I use the jewelry round nose pliers a lot. In the photo of the Garnet Czech and Black Obsidian Earrings you can see I used the jewelry round nose pliers to turn the loops at the end of the hoop wire. Then I used a jewelry flat nose plier to make the near 90 degree angle of the loops at the hoop wire ends.

Round Nose Pliers

Garnet Czech and Black Obsidian Earrings

When closing an open jumpring I use two flat end pliers. This way I use one flat end plier to hold each side of the open jumpring as I push the jumpring close.

Flat Nose Pliers

Wider Flat Nose Pliers

Click on a photo to see a larger photo.

Over the last five years I have purchased several of these jewelry nipper pliers as the cutting edge is easily marred and dented if you try to cut through wire that is too hard.

I use my most recently purchase nippers (hence the least damaged ones) on my higher quality sterling silver and 14K gold wires. The less damaged the nipper cutting edge the cleaner the nipped wire end.

If you about to cut a new wire or necklace chain and you aren't sure how easily it can be snipped through try it first on an already dented nipper plier so you do not ruin the edge on a good nipper plier.

End Cutting Nipper

There are two crimping areas in this crimping jewelry tool.

The inner most part of the jewelry tool puts a crease down the middle of the bead. So be sure your crimp bead is centered in the jewelry tool. Also you want the two ends of your stringing cord seated to wind up such that the crease will separate the two cords. If both ends of the cord turns out on one side of the crease that usually isn't a problem. But if the cord is caught in the crease, the creased metal will often cut the cord, ruining all your work.

Second part of the crimping jewelry tool folds the crimped bead back onto it self, supposedly making it look round as it originally was. Again doesn't always come out perfect. That's the time to use a crimp cover to hide any messy looking crimped bead.

Best always to practice, practice and practice again before crimping beads on your finished jewelry project.

Crimping Pliers

You can use the flat nose pliers to close open jumprings, but I like to use the loop closer plier. Also, I have used these to try and make a messy looking crimped bead turn out a bit nicer. But a few months ago I purchased the crimp covers and now I just use them when a messy crimp happens.

The loop closer plier forms a finished crimp bead whose diameter is less than 2mm - smaller than the original crimp. But practice first before trying this on a near finished bracelet or necklace that you are working on. I have also used this loop closer plier to close the crimp bead covers. But again, practice first as you can completely smashed down a metal spacer bead or a crimp bead cover.

Loop Closing Pliers

Here's some stuff I thought of as I typed in this page.

Crimp covers. What do they look like? How do you use them?

On the first two photos you can see the open crimp beads in three sizes.

The first photos shows a bracelet I did. The crimp cover have been closed around two crimped beads (one of both sides of the clasp).

The second photos shows how I used the crimp covers to make a large spacer bead (on the hoop). I know the design I wanted, long dangles, large spacer beads off a hoop drop. I send away for the Sterling Silver hoops, got them, was putting out my materials to do the work and came to a fast stop when I realized the hoop was soldered closed. Frustrated I sat the project aside, then while finishing a bracelet with putting crimp covers around the crimped beads, it came to me to use the crimp covers on these earrings.

The third photo, I had used the crimp covers down near where the necklace comes into the feather dangle. I was finished, relaxing, admiring my work then I saw I had missed putted one of the gold spacer beads between two of the hearts. Rather annoyed with myself until I thought of putting one of the 3mm crimp covers in between the two hearts. Worked great.

Now the negative of the crimp covers. They aren't soft like the normal plated spacer beads. It takes a bit of work using the loop closer pliers to get the crimp cover to shut completely. I have seen some crimp covers that are Sterling silver instead of plated. They may be softer, easier to close, but would be a lot more expensive then the plated ones.

Remember, on these photos you can click the photos, then click All Sizes link and see a larger photo.

GP Crimp Covers

SP Crimp Covers

Black and Mahogany
Obsidian Necklace

Overall problems that happen:

Crimp too close to beads or clasp can dent them.

I crimped too close to a Swarovski crystal bead and it shattered the bead. That is super sharp glass. Slit my finger tip. So pick up bits of wire and shattered beads very carefully.

Wear glasses to protect your eyes from metal and glass pieces that could fly off the jewelry due to the force you use on your pliers.

Remember when forming a piece of wire into a hoop or half hoop that it is like a spring.
I was near finishing one of my Rainbow Swarovski hoop earrings when my husband came up to my craft area, said something to me, I turned to answer and let go on one end of the wire I was bending into a hoop. Swarovski beads and spacer beads when a'flying.

For a cold crispy winter day I needed some warmth in the colors of my outfit and make these dangle earrings with a fiery orange-red combo of Swarovski® crystal beads.

These 25mm silver color and gold color pewter 5-loop chandlier have been a main stay in my designs when I wanted an earring with lots of color.

Please note it takes 70 4mm Swarovski® crystal beads for this design.

The split ring tool (shown right side of this photo) greatly helps to place the chandelier drop and earring piece into a split ring. Still it can take a lot of patience in order not to spring the split ring across the room or to stretch out the split ring and make it un-useful for securely holding the earring pieces together. Once I get the split ring started onto the earring piece, I often use a needle nose plier to help turn the split ring until it goes completely into the loop of the earring piece.

show placing split ring onto a chandelier drop

This earring design uses 1.5 inch long gold plated flat headed headpins. This photo shows putting an eyepin end onto a flat headed headpin.

Once I place the ten 4mm Swarovski® crystal beads onto the headpin I then snip off a little length from the headpins then use the needlenose pliers to place an eyepin onto the top of the headpin. When I'm first making up a design, if I'm unsure whether I want to snip any length off a headpin, I turn the eyepin first and place the dangle onto the earring to test for how it looks. If the headpin length is too long, then I snip a little bit off and use the needlenose pliers again to draw the headpin wire over the needlenose pliers and reform the eyepin.

Tools used for the dangles:

Needlenose pliers to place eyepin bend onto top of headpin.

Snippers to remove extra length of a headpin.

Loop closing pliers. At the lower left edge of this photo you can see the scooped out section (for closing loops and crimp beads) of these loop closing pliers.