I fell in love with these clasps the moment I first saw them. I love that they are so smooth on the outside with no visible split as one side sits really neatly inside the main body of the clasp. They can though be very annoying to separate.
When I first started using them, I would glue one side of the braid into the small part of the clasp, wait for it to dry and then use the braid to separate the 2 sides. That works fine, until you are over enthusiastic with the glue and manage to glue both parts together.
I now always separate the 2 sides before attempting any gluing. To do this I have my 'weapon of choice' - a very old, long, strong screw. This is the perfect device with which to prise the 2 sides apart   

Once separated I glue the braid into the smaller end first and let it dry thoroughly before fitting it back into the main body of the clasp. Once the clasp is back together I then glue in the other side of the braid. It is very easy to get confused and glue the braid into the wrong end of the clasp – here speaks the voice of experience!​

US Shipping Updates - Finally some good news.

We have had some clarification on how the new tariffs are going to be implemented. Unlike other countries that have import duties, US Customs are expecting all parcels to arrive in the US with the duty already paid, which means it needs to be paid as part of the postal charges. Very luckily for us in the UK, the Royal Mail have already implemented a similar system to pay duties to the EU as part of Brexit. They have now rolled this system out to cover the US as well.

My US buyers will see a new sales tax (import duty) on their invoices. This is to cover the 10% UK tariff as per the government directive. This will be paid to the Royal Mail, who will in turn forward this to US Customs.

This week a very lovely lady agreed to be a trial for me, so that I could understand exactly how the new system was going to work. Her parcel from the UK, arrived at her home on the West Coast in only 5 days, exactly as it has done in the past, with no additional charges Stateside.

I'm so pleased that we appear to have a way forward. I have enabled shipping again to the US, although if anyone has any problems please do let me know.

It’s still not 100% clear on what is going to happen but it is starting to look more positive.
As of 29th August 2025, the USA is removing the 'de minimis exemption' which was the $800 threshold below which tariffs on shipments from outside the USA didn't apply. From that date, tariffs will be applicable on ALL items entering the USA. Normally when people shop overseas and tariffs are due they are usually paid by the buyer just before the items are delivered. Unusually it appears that US customs will only accept parcels from overseas that already have the duty paid. This means that I will have to pay it in advance of it arriving in the US. Unfortunately, this does mean that prices will have to rise for US customers to cover this (and any administration fee) but it looks like it will only be by the 10% Tariff rate not the $80 flat rate as original thought. I have therefore suspended shipping to the US at the moment to make sure that all parcels are delivered by the 29th when this comes into force. I'm very hopeful though that I will be able to start up again once these new processes are in place.
A huge thank you to all of you for your support and patience while we work through this