How to Select Jewelry Making Supplies

Making your own jewelry at home is a practical and inexpensive way to indulge your creative side. In addition to making jewelry for yourself, you can create special gifts for friends and family or even earn extra income. If you select appropriate tools and supplies right at the beginning, you can save yourself time and trouble down the road with repairs and replacements.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Jewelry pliers
• Glue
• Beads or other decorative items
• Clasps
• Containers to hold supplies
• Jewelry making kit

Select Jewelry Making Supplies

1. Do some initial research. Visit a large crafts supplies site like WigJig to get ideas or patterns for your jewelry projects (see Resources below). You may also want to invest in a book with information on a particular type of jewelry making (e.g., making beaded earrings). You can often find books on making jewelry at crafts supplies sites.

2. Make sure you understand the terminology involved in jewelry making. For example, the term "findings" refers to various ready-made jewelry parts like clasps, different types of metal rings and earring posts. You can learn more about terminology by reading the articles posted on the websites of jewelry making supplies stores.

3. Make a list of the basic supplies you will need based on the design or pattern you have selected. This list should include tools, such as pliers and glue, as well as supplies, like beads or clasps, and miscellaneous items, like containers for supplies or bead boards.

4. Visit several local or online crafts stores so that you can browse and compare offerings. Using your supplies list, do price comparisons on basic tools. For decorative items, such as beads, visit a number of stores if possible, so that you can browse a wide selection of offerings.

5. Consider purchasing a jewelry making kit. Aside from relieving you of the worry that you may have forgotten some supplies, these kits come in a wide price range, cover many types of popular jewelry making and usually come with a booklet and patterns to try.

6. Select and purchase your supplies based on price, attractiveness and suitability for your project. Remember to factor in the cost of shipping when you purchase online.

Tips & Warnings

• Buy supplies (like beads or jewelry pliers) that will work for a few different types of jewelry making while you're trying out different styles. Only purchase specialty tools once you've narrowed down your field of interest.
• Select jeweler's pliers instead of ones from hardware stores, which are often too large for fine jewelry work.
• Buy only what you need to get started at first. Although most jewelry making supplies are relatively inexpensive in small quantities, you could be surprised at how much you end up spending if you don't plan your purchases.

Resources

• WigJig for jewelry making supplies and ideas