Before people start thinking that all I ever think about or do is make jewelry, here is an image of the solar powered shower I assembled in my back yard yesterday evening. Its made from a 4"x10' piece of black PVC ( black so it gets hot in the sun) tilted at an angle (if I'm using the sun, I might as well use gravity) with the high side open for filling with a hose and the low side reduced and fitted to a giant shower head. Now, I can get home after a long bike ride and rinse off in my back yard oasis. Behind the tree, of course, for modesty's sake. Ha!

So, when I am making jewelry, here is a new project I've been working on for a while and is finally coming together. Pun intended!

Problem: Bracelet clasps need two hands to fasten. They also add significant cost to the assembly and generally break up the look of the bracelet.

Constraints: The solution has to look good, be easy to use, hold tight and be cost effective.

Answer: NEODYMIUM MAGNETS!

Here is a new piece I recently finished. You can see from the loops at either end it was intended to be a bracelet/chain link.

Since I was stymied about how to deal with the clasp, the first thing I did with this piece is bend it and add a shank and turn it into a ring model# CB020

Still, it begs to be a bracelet. Here you can see how I fabricated a finding to each half of a split link to hold a round neodymium disk magnet.

And here is the finished result:

All you have to do is get the two ends close to each other and the magnets do the rest!

Stay tuned to see this and three other link designs in the new category

"Single Girl Bracelets" because she doesn't need your help.