Frequently when jewelry making, you will find that you need to open a loop, attach another wire component inside the loop, then close the loop.  When done properly, this can be done without distorting the size and shape of the loop.  First, never open a loop by bending it back in the opposite direction that the wire was bent to create the loop.  This does not work.  To understand how to open a loop, position the loop in a horizontal plane and grab one side of the  loop with your chain nose pliers or bent chain nose pliers.  Grasp the other side in your fingers or better still in a second pair of bent chain nose pliers.  Now twist one side of the loop up while holding the other side stationary.  Twist enough so that the loop opens wide enough to allow adding a wire component to the loop.

To close the loop, grasp both sides of the loop with your pliers and twist in the opposite direction so that the two ends come together.  The pictures below show how to grasp one side of the loop with your bent chain nose pliers.  To open or close this loop, you would grasp the other side of the loop with your second pair of chain nose pliers or with your fingers.

Top View	Angled View

There is a tool that can help in closing a loop.  When the gap between the two sides of the loop needs to be made smaller (bringing the two sides closer together), there are loop closing pliers that can be used to close the loop with minimal marks on the wire. Loop closing pliers are not a mandatory tool, but you will find that almost every professional jewelry maker will have at least one pair.

Published with the permission of www.wigjig.com