Creativity Unleashed: Craft Your Own Jewelry From Scratch
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When you have the time, you have a lot of options as to what hobby you can pick up. One option is to start to make your own jewelry. If you aren’t sure how to do that, don’t worry, we are going to take a look at how to craft your own jewelry from scratch.
What Tools Do You Need?
When you are making jewelry, odds are that you’re not limiting yourself to weaving friendship bracelets like you used to do in summer camp. If you want to make high quality jewelry, you should make sure you have all the tools you need before you start.
For one, you will need wire cutters and pliers to manipulate the metal pieces you are working with. An important note is that you will want to find these tools as they are specialized to jewelry making. The tools that are sitting in your toolbox might work for a while, you will want specialized jewelry making tools for working finer details.
The pliers you will want specifically are round nose pliers. These taper down as you reach the tips of the pliers. You can use this feature to control the size of the loops in your jewelry depending on where you place the wire on the pliers.
Additionally, you will want to keep a pair of chain nose pliers around. These differ from round nose pliers because they are flat on the inside of the jaws. This is great because the flat inside won’t mark the metal you are using these pliers on. You will particularly want to use these to close jump rings or use them when you are gripping wire.
Finally for pliers, you will want a set of flat nose pliers. These are a lot like chain nose pliers but they aren’t tapered. For beginners, though, you won’t have to worry as much about these. They are more used for advanced jewelry making.
You should also keep a crimp tool around when you are crafting jewelry. Typically, you will use this tool with a crimp beads or crimp tools to secure a clasp. However, this tool can also be used to keep beads in position on projects such as illusion necklaces.
There are, of course, a few extras that you can buy if you really want to invest time and funds in this passtime. For instance, bead stoppers can be used to help you keep beads in place. A tool like this can help you as you go along because it eliminates the worry of picking up your jewelry just so that you can watch the beads roll off the unfinished end.
Gather Supplies
Before you start, you will need to gather all the supplies you need to get your project off the ground.
First, you will need wire. This is typically what makes up the base of your jewelry. You will want to make sure and get the right sized wire that you need in your project. This is measured in the gauge of the wire. The higher the gauge of the wire, the smaller the diameter of the wire is.
Then, of course, you will need something to adorn your jewelry – a wire on its own typically isn’t the jewelry that most people make. This means that you’ll need other items such as beads.
You can usually find everything you need at your local craft store. If that doesn’t work, though, there are plenty of online vendors that can help you find exactly what you need to create your own unique masterpiece.
Find Out What Interests You
When you are trying to learn how to craft your own jewelry, you need to decide what type of jewelry you want to create. After all, just saying you want to make jewelry is a broad statement that doesn’t come up with any definitive answers.
The most common jewelry that people decide to make usually employs the use of wire and beads or gems to create the finished product.
Start With the Basics
You can’t jump into making complicated jewelry right away. Instead, you need to take the time to master the basics before you go ahead and create the necklace you’ve been dreaming about.
For example, if you want to work with metal, you will want to master wire looping before you get in too deep. To do this, you would place a bead on a short length of wire with a bead stopper on the end. With the length of wire extending above the bead, you will use your pliers to twist the wire into a loop. This is just one of the basics you will need to know if you are going to make jewelry.
Learn the Terms
It is also important that you learn the terminology that is associated with crafting your own jewelry. This way, if you were to read up on creating the type of jewelry you want to create, you are able to understand what they are talking about.
Do you know how wire sizing works, for instance? What’s the difference between 12-gauge and 20-gauge wire? These are things that you will need to know if you want to be a successful jewelry maker.
Don’t Be Afraid to Change It Up a Bit
While you might get your start with beading or woven jewelry, that doesn’t mean that you have to stick with that method throughout your whole time making jewelry. As you grow artistically and become more confident, you should give other options a try.
Don’t feel limited in your jewelry making. This is, at the end of the day, a way for you to express yourself creatively.
- Creativity Unleashed: Craft Your Own Jewelry From Scratch - September 24, 2018