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Step 1
Decide what types of rock jewelry you want to make. Rock jewelry designs are diverse and range from items like necklaces and pendants of carved gems to wire-wrapped stones (polished or rough) to rustic jewelry designs made from painted river rocks and other non-precious stones. Do some exploring to get inspired; check out what artisans are making and selling on sites like ebay.com or etsy.com, or check out the jewelry crafts section of your local library. Once you know what types of jewelry you'd like to make, you can better understand what tools you'll want in a kit for jewelry making.
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Step 2
Shop for kits. Your local craft store may have some rock jewelry making kits or general jewelry making kits that are well-suited to making rock jewelry, but you will probably have the best luck if you can shop in a specialty store; rock and mineral stores are more likely to carry kits such as rock polisher jewelry kits (these include both a rock polisher and jewelry tools and findings) or lapidary (gem cutting) tool kits. You can also try hobby stores and science curiosity shops.
Ultimately, however, you will have the best luck shopping through a catalog or online, since this is very much a specialty item. Check out sites like Fire Mountain Beads and Gems (www.firemountain.com), Mama's Minerals (www.mamasminerals.com) or The Rock Shed (therockshed.com). -
Step 3
Compare kits. Be sure to get an itemized list of every item inside the kit; you may find, if you research the costs of the individual items, that the kit is a poor deal. Comparing items between kits will also give you a chance to weigh them against each other in terms of how well they fit your individual needs, since some kits may include a wealth of items but contain too many things that aren't relevant to your interests. You should also bear in mind that some kits will be designed for specific projects and may even include instruction booklets detailing how to make them, so decide if this is something you want to work with.
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Step 4
Consider assembling your own jewelry kit. This is often the best option if you want to buy locally and get the most perfectly customized kit. Sit down and create a list of all the items you'll need to make the kinds of jewelry designs you want to create, including wire and cord, pliers, any cutting and polishing tools, stone and jewelry glue, paints, jewelry findings (such as clasps or earring hoops) and the stones themselves. Store your items a sturdy storage box with multiple compartments, such as a tackle box.
