Introduction to Rock & Gemstone Jewelry

Series Summary

Do you have an idea for a beautiful necklace design? From earrings and bracelets to single stranded and elaborate multi-stranded necklaces, creating your own jewelry is fun, easy to learn, and can even be done at home. All it takes is the desire to create, the willingness to learn, and finally practicing your newly acquired craft. Making your own jewelry is a fun way to express your creative fashion talents. Whether you want to work with beads, stones, gems, metals, hemp or any other material, the basic construction methods are fairly simple. Custom handmade jewelry also makes a fine gift for birthdays or holidays.

In this series of free video clips you’ll learn tips and techniques for making your own rock and stone jewelry. Expert Candace Copeland demonstrates the process of making a necklace step-by-step, offering advice on choosing the beads, stones, gems and other supplies like tools and wire you’ll need to get started. She also offers examples of rock jewelry that makes a great gift for a man or woman. With these easy instructions and a little inspiration you’re well on your way to becoming a jewelry designer.

Video Transcript

"Hi there! On behalf of expertvillage.com my name is Candace Copeland. I'm going to be telling you a little bit on this clip about the different types of tools, stringing materials, all the basics that you need to really get started if you decide this is your passion. You'll have to get started with a set of tools. This is known as a bead crimper. You need a little flat type plier. This little rounded one is to finish off like an earring after you make it on the ear wire and you have to twist in order to make that dangle come down nice and smooth. This is the one you want to put most of your money into. This is your clip the wire and they have to be extremely sharp, so spend the extra money and get the best that you can possibly buy on this tool. I use still a lot of beading wire because I use really heavy material. This happens to be 49 strand. This is about as heavy as you're going to need. I use 19 on some of the lighter pieces. Like something like this was only a 19, but it's hard to believe there's 49 strand inside of this. Then that will give you your basics. These little clips are very handy when you're just about ready to finish and put your crimp bead on it, which are these little beads. They look like little silver tubes. They're what this tool is used for. I've done it more than once where I didn't have one of these on it and all of a sudden the whole thing goes on the floor, so it's really important. Keep your clip so you don't have to pick them all up and start over. Other little things that you'll have again are some findings which we covered earlier, but this is basically your real tools that you need just to do your basic bead stringing. This is always handy, a little box tools for jewels. "