Because most jump rings are basically metal wire, they will similarly break eventually if they are bent back and forth too much in one place. Keep this in mind when opening and shutting jump rings; try to open and close them at most 3 times. Think about what you will need to connect or insert in the jump ring BEFORE you make connections.
The most common mistake (and one that I made in the beginning), in opening or closing a jump ring is the way you pull it apart. I know that they have a special set of jump ring pliers specially made for opening and closing jump rings, but I find that it can be easily done using two chain nose pliers. Start by grasping the jump ring with pliers in each hand fairly close to where the cut is in the jump ring, as in Figure 2a.
Now what you want to do next is pull one plier toward you and push the other away from you, so that the jump ring opens up slightly along the cut. What you DON’T want to do is to open the two ends of the jump ring apart so that you widen the distance between the two cuts. This will tend to deform the general circularity of the jump ring. If you do this, it will be very difficult (trust me) to get it back into its original shape.
I usually open up the jump ring only enough so that whatever you are putting into the jump ring (connector, wirewrap loop, simple loop) just barely can fit through it. Open it up too wide, and you will have the same problem of the jump ring getting deformed.
Now, to close up the jump ring, simply grab the ends with the chain pliers and reverse the process. Make sure that when you bring the ends back together that the “cut” is completely closed. This is the biggest reason for things slipping off a jump ring - because the ends have not been completely shut together. You actually want the ends to rub against each other slightly, to make sure it’s shut.
