Craft lovers everywhere are experiencing the fun and enjoyment that comes from making their own jewellery. Modern techniques, aesthetics and a growing crafting community has resulted in superb innovation in jewellery craft – from traditional metal pieces, to modern and quirky items made from fabrics, wools, plastics, papers and more.
Finding inspiration for jewellery designs
Inspiration and ideas
To see the exciting world of modern jewellery, there are some superb online resources to gather inspiration and ideas – such as photo sharing website Pinterest. The industry is constantly changing and evolving with fresh talent, and direct sales routes such as Etsy and other craft sites that are helping individual crafters to find profitable markets for their creations.
Building up your jewellery-making toolkit
Organising your equipment
When you start designing and producing jewellery regularly, you’ll want to build up a stock of jewellery making tools. Initially, a good route is to attend classes with tools provided, to work out what you will actually need, and what is less essential at the start. Alternatively, you could speak to experienced sales staff at a jewellery supplies store for their advice, seek out advice via blogs, or join a class to learn more about the tools available and on offer.
Head to a specialist supplier
If you are planning to use your jewellery making tools intensively or for the longer term, then you will get the best results if you invest in good quality items. Visit a specialist supplier to find the best range of tried and tested jewellery. Maybe create a cool new belt for a bespoke look to dress up a nice pair of designer womens jeans from stockiest like http://www.cuba-clothing.com/womens/jeans.html
At a specialist supplier you will find hundreds of jewellery crafting tools on sale, from workshop items such as a jeweller’s bench, through to silversmithing and goldsmithing tools, beads, finishings, embellishments, engraving tools, polishers, burrs, dividers, cutters and more. By going to a large supplier, you’ll also find more specialist items.
Good basic items to invest in depend very much on the type of jewellery you are making. If you are crafting jewellery from metal, then drill bits and associated equipment are very useful, as are soldering irons, workshop equipment, polishers, files and gauges for measuring both metal and precious stones. Stock up too on supplies for your jewellery, such as chains, metals, stones, composites and display and storage items.
Starter kits and looking after your tools
Starting kits
Alternatively, you might want to invest in a starter’s kit, or a specialist kit of tools designed to fulfil a particularly jewellery making task, function or type. These can be excellent value for money, and give you a full working set of basic items to get started. For example, you might buy a starter’s soldering or workshop kit, a polishing kit, a tweezer set, or a hammer and block kit. These will help you to build up your workshop items over time, with high quality pieces. There are some good kit examples available online.
You’ll even find kits available for children, such as for making the hugely popular loom bands, which are crafted from small bands of coloured plastics. These are a great way to help children become interested in the craft of jewellery making.
Don’t forget to care for and maintain your jewellery making equipment either as this will ensure that it lasts for longer and works effectively.
Summary
This piece encourages readers to try jewellery making and explains how to get started. It points to Pinterest and platforms like Etsy for inspiration, suggests attending classes or asking specialist suppliers before buying tools, and describes the wide range of jewellery-making equipment sold by specialist suppliers. It also covers starter kits, including ones for children, and stresses maintaining tools properly.
Questions this article raises
- How much does a basic jewellery-making starter kit typically cost?
- Which tools are essential for a beginner versus a more experienced jewellery maker?
- How do new crafters find reliable specialist suppliers near them?
