11/7/2023 0 Comments Lobster claw clasps![]() However, that steel spring is critical because silver and gold don’t have the strength to act as springs, as mentioned above. With the addition of the steel spring, we’ve increased the weight of the piece with a new material, thus decreasing its purity. For example, sterling silver is 92.5% fine silver, and 7.5% copper. What is assay? It’s a lab test used to determine the compositional breakdown of your piece to verify precious metal purity. The introduction of steel into a clasp will affect the piece’s assay. You may notice a stronger magnetic pull on the findings when you are near the steel component. These particular findings may be magnetic because of the small steel components even though the main body of these items is made from precious metal. Clasp springs, hinge pins in items like leverback earring findings, and the glass-face holding bezels for lockets or watches are all included on that list. They allow certain key jewelry components to contain steel mechanisms because of the necessity for tensile strength. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates jewelry industry practices. Steel springs maintain this important tensile strength “springy” property for lifetime use. This is because a precious metal spring would quickly lose its tensile strength with repeated use and would stop functioning. You will see in the photos above of a deconstructed lobster class that the spring is a darker metallic material. However, the spring is always made out of steel. Lobster clasp bodies and triggers are made from the primary material metal usually sterling silver, 14k gold, or gold-filled. For more information about spring rings, read our blog Spring Rings: All you Need to Know. When you release the trigger, it springs back into a neutral position. When you pull the trigger, it pushes the spring against the body of the clasp. Unlike spring rings, where the spring is fitted into a tube, lobster clasps have a slightly different shaped spring, with only one coil instead of many. ![]() ![]() They are made up of 3 parts – the spring, the trigger, and the body. Just like our other favorite clasp, the spring ring, lobster clasps are also constructed with a steel spring. We’ll go over the physical construction of the clasp, but also the magnet test, assay, and how plating treatments might affect your clasp. Construction of a Lobster Claspīefore we can get into all the benefits of a lobster clasp, we first need to understand how they’re made. Keep reading for the lowdown on how they’re made and why you might want to use one. Lobster clasps are one of the most popular clasp options for jewelers out there – and for good reason! They’re sturdy, long lasting, easy to use, and come in a ton of styles and material types.
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