I was expecting to have to do a whole lot more adjusting to get the Figure 8 Connector to look correct. In truth, it was pretty much all the way done after the two simple Plain Loops! You will most likely have some “leftover” wire at the end (it’s very difficult to exactly approximate the total length of wire needed to make one, which is why I recommended at least 1 inch to start with). Take your Sharp Nosed cutters and clip off the tag end of the remaining wire right at the point where the wire intersects with itself.
You’re pretty much done now! Usually, you will need to close down the loops so they’re a bit more snug. You can do this with your Rosary Pliers by inserting the tip into the loop and gently “rolling” the plier in the direction of the loop to close it up. You may also notice that when you lay the Figure 8 Jump Ring flat on the table that it is not perfectly “flat” because of the way the loops were turned. This is normal, and you can straighten them out by using two Chain Nose Pliers and tweaking the loops like you would a jump ring. Just make sure not to overdo it!
I was really surprised this was so easy to make, and definitely will think about using this in future designs. I think that there are a lot of variations you could experiment with besides this simple 8 shape, perhaps earring connectors or even focal points for necklaces. I have heard that some people also use a small hammer and a mini anvil to pound the wire shape to flatten it or give it some texture as well.
