Fridge jewelry.

Tucked away in a box of 'never use 'em' jewelry findings, I had a bunch of mini magnetic clasps. Available at any craft store or bead shop. They're the smallest (and cheapest) type of magnetic clasp, meant for very light jewelry designs. Look how tiny and cute!


But honestly, I am a little bit hesitant to use them. When worn, these little things can sometimes flick apart when you least expect it - and there will go your necklace or bracelet, broken on the sidewalk or vanished down a storm drain.

So I had the idea to flick them apart on purpose, and use the individual halves to make jeweled fridge magnets. When stuck to a solid surface (as opposed to clasped around a moving person), they are really quite fierce, and will hold even heavy fridge art amazingly well.

This was my pitiful collection of fridge magnets, before:


Wow. Seriously boring and yucko! Something had to be done.

Now here is the jeweled makeover:


Want to try? It's easy! The cool thing about these clasps is how they already include a little loop, perfect for hanging a bead dangle or charm.

For a beaded dangle you will need a bead, a headpin and your magnet-half. Tools: a wire snipper and round-nose pliers.


You are going to make a wrapped loop, with the magnet included in the wrap. I tried to show the steps in this shot:


Thread your bead onto the headpin. Fold the headpin over. Then make a loop, but don't close it up yet. Slip your magnet onto the loop. To finish, wrap the wire around the base of the loop at least once, and snip off the tail. And that is your fridge jewel, done! (For a video tutorial on wire wrapping, click here.)

Easier-peasier option: you can skip the extra step of wrapping the wire, and just make a plain loop. It's a little less secure, but really, it works just as well!


If you're doing the plain loops, you'll want to use fairly heavy gauge headpins and be sure to close your loops completely. That's it!




Hanging a charm is even simpler. Just add two jump rings - one to the magnet and one to the charm, like so:


Then join them up. Isn't that cute?


And nothing says these must live on the fridge. They're ideal for magnetic bulletin boards. I'm going to use the monkeys in my workspace, stuck to the tin frame around a mirror.


I think a set of these would make a cool little gift. Make a few to match the decor or taste of your giftee.

Never thought I would be saying this...I might need to go out and buy some more of those mini magnet clasps!



Because now I kinda love 'em.