When Barbara Zucker, a retired anesthesiologist, put down her gloves and picked up her knitting needles, she didn’t suspect several patents for magnetic jewelry clasps were in her future. Her new business concept, “Magknit,” arose out of trying to find a way to help fellow knitters create knitwear necklaces. “I created kits where knitters could create their own necklaces with my magnetic clasps,” she says. Initial clasps were in base metal aimed at the hobbyist. But now she has refined and upscaled them for the fine jewelry market. Jewelers can create necklaces using the innovative clasps or convert existing necklaces for customers. “They provide a secure, easy on and off closure for any kind of beads or pearls,” says Zucker. “The first generation of magnetic closures weren’t attractive and deserved to be hidden. These clasps are designed to be worn in front, as sort of a pendant or station.” Zucker plans to expand her concept into smaller, even more refined pieces in karat gold.