How do captive bead rings work?
Captive bead rings can be tricky! The bead is dimpled on each side and is held captive by the tension of the two ends of the ring. For small to medium gauge rings, you should just be able to release the ball by gently pulling the ring apart just a teeny bit. Larger gauge rings will take a bit more effort, and possibly ring opening pliers. But be careful when you open rings because you don’t want to bend the wire out of shape. Also, the beads will just pop out. Make sure your sink drain is closed! To put the bead back in, just reverse the process, making sure the rings ends are seated in the bead dimples. A lot of people find the bead tweezers very helpful, especially on small and medium gauge rings as they have the smaller beads. If you don’t want to purchase tools, your piercer should be able to help you.
