This is the first part of my follow-up on yesterday’s post on fixing a broken/missing zipper pull (Zip It: The Lost-Pull Fix). The next part will include full instructions for making a zipper pull (hurrah!).

When I needed pliers to open my replacement zipper pull, I grabbed the first ones I could lay my hands on, which happened to be in my jewelry-making supply box. They were right next to a package of lobster-claw clasps, and even though I was in a hurry to get that blog post going, it did occur to me at the time to wonder if those clasps would fit on an ordinary zipper pull. Hmm…

This morning, I took a closer look at my jewelry materials. Here’s the result of a quick rummage through my supplies:

Zippers are such utilitarian things, why not dress them up a bit? (For all we know, they suffer from a perpetual sense of inferiority, considering the beautiful buttons, frogs, laces, and other closure types that compete with zippers. A lot of zippers are actually invisible! Honestly… how would you feel?)

My idea (today, at least) is to take a pendant and attach it to a clasp, using a simple jump ring to connect the parts together. My initial concern was if this size of clasp would work— I thought they might be too thick to attach to the average zipper. So I tried one on several different garments, and lo! It fit perfectly!

Now that I think about it, there might be another issue: what if you’re zipping yourself up (I mean your dress, you madcap!) and the pull comes apart from putting too much pressure on it? These things need to be functional, not just pretty. I’m going to have to make a few and test them for sturdiness, by which I mean do my best to break them.

So stay tuned: In my next post, I’ll not only show you how I make my own jeweled zipper pull (assuming it works), I’ll also give you my incredibly unscientific test results. In the meantime, if you’re experimenting with this idea, or are already making your own zipper pulls, I’d love to hear about your experiences!