Versatile Clasp Challenge! The Story of an Unworn Diamond Clasp Set Free

So Many Pearls, But Only One Nice Diamond Clasp! A Story.

Versatile Interchangeable Clasp Top

Sheri showed me her clasp that years ago a wonderful diamond had been taken out of to create a ring.

She loved that ring, so that diamond was gone. However she did have a single diamond from a set of earrings that wasn’t being worn. And she loved the clasp and couldn’t use it.

The Clasp Without a Center Diamond in the Experimental Phase with Silver Pin

I said, “That diamond is smaller, but if I make a wider bezel setting and put milgrain engraving on it, no one will know there used to be a larger diamond in it.”

“That’s great,” She said, “But there is another part of this challenge. I want you to make it so I can use the beautiful diamond clasp on more than one necklace. I want a versatile clasp.” And she showed me a number of other gorgeous pearl necklaces.

“What?” Usually a clasp works on one pearl or bead necklace. “How do you mean?” I asked.

“I want you to make it so it’ll go onto a bottom piece. And be able to go on other clasp bottoms. The bottom piece will be strung with the pearls, but the new piece will slide on whichever pearls I want to wear.”

Do you ever get that feeling when you are trying to picture something and parts are missing and your head spins? That’s how I felt. But I also felt challenged and really wanted to figure it out.

Diving into Making a New Versatile Clasp

The New White Gold Under Clasp Had to Be the Same Size and Shape as the Top

I first tested the idea with a silver pin to connect two halves of a clasp into one. It worked.

Now I had to lower the center of gravity by making the diamond clasp less deep. See the red line above, where I planned to thin Sheri’s clasp.

Then I needed to make the underlying clasp to string up with her pearls. It needed an interior tube to guide the pin section or Sheri would tear her hair out trying to align the pin from one side to the other.

The New Pin and How it Connects

The New Bottom Clasp and the Working Parts in White Gold Showing on the Top Versatile Clasp

I have to admit I really geeked out on the making of the base clasp. I wanted it to work easily and for the diamond upper removable piece to be able to work on multiple base clasps. Which I would make in the future.

Thinking in three dimensions has a nice way of stretching your mind and I felt ready to go jogging or something physical after the physics brain strain.

The Engraving and Diamond Setting

New Diamond, New Bezel, Hand Engraving and it’s Ready to Go

After all the mental heavy lifting it was time for the fun part.

We took a diamond from one of her diamond earring sets that wasn’t being worn to put into this clasp.

Putting it together for the first time was so much fun. There were a number of things to do to make it work.

The depth of the top section had to be thinned so it’d be less likely to flip, I needed to make a larger bezel setting to set the smaller diamond, and to double milgrain the bezel top to make it work aesthetically.

Sheri and I are already planning the next underclasps for this diamond top piece to slide onto.

You Too Can Be a Mad Scientist of Jewelry

Half way Slid on From Underneath

All strung up

Have you ever thought, “If only I could mount this pendant on a clasp or…”

Maybe you might like to try something crazy.

Your Personal Chance-Taking Jeweler,
Calla