Sets

Hang, then closer

Jump ring through the plate hole. Lobster on the starter chain. Read a hang from the top: ring, plate, letter. The International Gem Society treats a jump ring as a connector. A lobster is a closer. Those are different jobs. Do not buy a lobster to replace a ring that already does the hang.

Unsoldered rings can open under strain. A heavy plate on a thin unsoldered ring will open on a park week. Soldered rings stay closed if the solder holds. Match the ring gauge to the plate hole, not to a photo of a stacked bracelet.

Gold jump ring beside a gold lobster clasp — Connector versus closer.

Through the plate

Twist a jump ring open with pliers. Do not pull the cut apart. Pulling spreads the gap and the ring will not close true. IGS is the connector definition. The hang is still ring, then plate. If the plate hole is small, the ring has to fit that hole, not a larger souvenir ring from a different plate.

Silver jump rings beside needle-nose pliers on a work table — Rings and pliers. Twist, do not pull.

Get this jump rings.

Get this jewelry pliers.

Letter plate

A letter plate is a hang, not a closer. If the starter already has a lobster, the hang is a jump ring through the plate hole. Pack pliers and a spare soldered ring. Leave the heavy plate off a thin unsoldered ring. A stacked photo is not a ring gauge.

Get this a letter plate.

Florida outline

A Florida silhouette on a jump ring is a souvenir plate. Same hang: ring through the hole, then the outline. It is not a fridge magnet. Magnets belong on Magnet Company. Licensed park characters stay at that shop. This door sells the hang, not the likeness.

Get this a Florida outline plate.

On the starter

The starter strand is the chain already on the wrist. The lobster is the closer on that chain. Do not buy a second lobster to replace a ring that already does the hang. If the starter already has a lobster, stop there. Add plates with rings. Do not add another closer.

A starter bracelet strand with a lobster clasp — The wrist it already lives on.

Get this a starter chain.

Get this a lobster clasp.

Soldered spare

Pack a spare soldered ring. Unsoldered rings open under strain. A park week yanks the plate every time the wrist hits a rail. If the ring already shows a gap, replace it before you hang another plate. Soldered is the spare you actually want in the pouch.

Get this soldered jump rings.

Park week yank

A plate on a wrist hits rails, stroller handles, and locker latches all day. That is the strain that opens an unsoldered ring. If the ring already shows daylight, replace it before the week starts. Do not add a second plate to hide the gap. A pouch in the bag is for spare rings and pliers, not for wearing the starter overnight in a zip pocket full of sunscreen.

What this door is not

A fridge magnet is a steel test on Magnet Company. A licensed park character is that shop’s job. A necklace extender is Necklace Company’s length job. This door is a hang and a closer. Jump ring through the plate. Lobster on the starter. Twist with pliers. Pack a soldered spare.

Order of purchase

Pliers first if you do not already own a pair you will actually twist with. Soldered rings second. Plate third. Starter chain only if you do not already have a wrist it can live on. Lobster last, and only if the starter is missing a closer. Magnets stay on Magnet Company.

Lecture: Jump ring vs lobster clasp. Kits: Dangle kits.