I have never made jewelry but I want to start. I am overwhelmed.?

Question

I am creative and like to paint but have never tried making jewelry. It looks like fun and I"d like to make it for gifts and maybe some income on the side since I am home with my newborn. My question is, what do I need. I want to use beads, silver wire, hemp, etc...I don't have the funds to purchase things like a jewelry mold machine or kiln, etc...What are the main tools I will need and id their a website with helpful tips? Thanks.

Answer 1

try riogrande.com

Answer 2

the most important tools in my opinion are as follows...

2 pair of needle nose pliers, both small hopefully one is even smaller. wirecutters, tiny ones! a crimper...good lord i made things off and on for 25 yrs. before i even knew such an animal existed! a good pair of scissors.

o.k. ... now then, my favorite place to buy my beads are the "gem shows"...not, i repeat, not..the bead shows.  gem shows offer bigger choices and more competitive

pricing. don't forget, you can haggle with the sellers here!

after shopping around you can also get a sense of who has the best deal on sterling silver findings.

MAJOR HINT : there is usually a wholesalers room in the back or off to the side, don't let that fool you, anyone can shop there!!!

besides that i buy what i call my "fillers" at my local bead shop, different beads and what-nots i didn't pick up the show. also i can pick up my string/wire for beading there.

don't know of any specific web sites, i am sure there must be a gazillion of them out there....GOOGLE IT !!!!!

GOODLUCK TO YOU AND LET US KNOW HOW IT GOES....  ;O)

Answer 3

It sounds like you want to try a lot of different things, but the tools you would need will differ depending on which direction you go.  I'd check out a magazine like BeadStyle and see what kind of projects interest you.

That said, no matter what, you're still likely to need a bead board, a few pairs of pliers (needle-nosed, nylon jaw, etc.), and wire cutters.  Other than that, though, it depends.  Other than some good pliers, though, most everything else is icing... nice to have, but you can get along without them.

Answer 4

I totally understand what you're going through.  I'm still there, really.  I sold some of my old gold jewelry to make money to buy supplies and now I have tons of beads, hemp twine, wire, etc. and still don't know what to do with it.  My suggestion would be to start out with a jewelry making kit in whatever medium you like be it hemp knotted jewelry (which is what I love), micro-macrame, loom beading, or traditional wire jewelry.  The kits don't usually have the highest quality tools in them if they're included at all, but they'll give you instruct you on the basics and give you a good idea whether or not you truly like making jewelry.  If your chosen kits don't have tools, I suggest buying an inexpensive tool set that comes with all the basics (crimper, round nose plier, chain nose plier, etc.) because trust me, if you make jewelry with any kind of wire at all, you'll need them.  For hemp jewelry, you shouldn't - instead, find macrame supplies like T-pins, a macrame board, crow beads or wooden beads with larger holes, and hemp twine (or silk or nylon #18 C-lon bead cord if that interests you).  I had a heck of a time figuring out which nylon cord to use.  I ended up buying nylon cord that ended up obviously being for loom beading and not knotting (size D is for loom beading, #18 is for knotting).  I tried asking someone on Etsy.com, but was pretty much blown off and told "you don't tell your secrets, do you?  I'm not telling mine."  To be honest, I do tell my secrets because they aren't really secrets... it's a matter of helping out a fellow crafter.  /shrug  Anyway...

http://www.beadage.net/ (instructions, a few projects, and lists of online suppliers)

http://www.artbeads.com/ (an online supplier - may have some kits you can try)

http://www.fusionbeads.com (same as above)

http://www.hemp-sisters.com/ (for hemp twine)

http://www.store.jewelsinfiber.com/ (offers lots of different things for micro-macrame and knotted jewelry including macrame board, t-pins, nylon and silk cord, and end caps)

And finally... http://www.firemountaingems.com/  (I've purchased a LOT of beads from them.  I'd suggest waiting until you know you're going to need a lot of supplies since they give discounts based on number of items you order. The way I did it was to scour their clearance and sale beads  and added those as well as the more inexpensive beads like crow glass beads or seed beads for looming.  That way, I'm not spending much money on each individual item, but I'm ensuring I'll get the discount for 50+ items which is pretty substantial and worth trying for unless you're only buying 1-2 things)

Answer 5

I'm very new to this whole chat group idea so stick with me.  I think one of your best tools would be to take a basic beading class at your local bead store.  That's how I started out and once you have the basic knowledge, it only gets better from there!  I work in a bead store and with a beading magazine and too often I see projects done half fast or improperly.  There are so many new findings out there to give you the professional look that I believe the best tool you can give yourself is the knowledge behind the basics.

Now enough of that.  Tool wise I would suggest needlenose pliers (smooth and rigid), round nose pliers and a pair of really good cutters.  I wouldn't bother with the crimp folder tool.

A fabulous website that I like is www.beadingtimes.com and any of the beading magazines will show you the basic steps in the back of the book.

I hope this helps and all the best with your soon-to-be new addiction.

Answer 6

TUTORIAL    Will show you what you need . all the info they think you will ned to get started.  Beads and things check out   wiresculpture.com

  http://www.craftown.com/jewelry/jewel1.h...