This guide outlines advice for beginners who want to start to make jewelry as a hobby or business.
The global jewelry market is worth over 250 billion dollars. And, individual pieces of jewelry can get expensive. Whether you want to start a business or you just want a new hobby, jewelry might just be the ticket.
Throughout this article you will find some tips for making jewelry , you will have an idea of the tools and material to make jewelry that you will need, as well as the sales process that you can adopt for your homemade jewelry business!
Make jewelry yourself: Beginners’ guide
Read on to find out how to set up to make jewelry when you’re new to the game.
Types of jewelry to make
You’ll need to decide exactly what type you want to make first. It’s best to keep it pretty simple when you’re first starting out, so think about trying bracelets or necklaces first. Then, you can think about moving on to more complicated types.
If you’ve really never made jewelry before, you’ll need some help knowing what to do. You don’t want your pieces to fall apart immediately, after all.
The first thing you will need to do is define the types of products you will produce to sell. In most cases, those who make pieces for sale end up working with several different items. But right from the start, the best thing is to focus on 1 or 2 types of products and strive to do the best possible.
As you gain more experience, you can increase your range of manufactured products to sell. Here are some types of pieces to make and sell:
- earrings;
- bracelets;
- Maxi necklace;
- anklets;
- necklaces;
- And other miscellaneous parts.
Precisely at the beginning, when you are defining the types of products you will make, it will be more interesting to invest in a course that teaches all the techniques for producing these accessories.
Materials and tools to make jewelry
Right from the start you will need to buy some small tools to work with and parts for assembling pieces . Therefore, this will be your main cost to start producing and selling jewelry. Everything else will just depend on your own manual skill to produce your new products. The main working tools are:
- Finishing scissors;
- Small pliers;
- Glue;
- Toothpick picks up rhinestones.
In addition to the work accessories, you will need to invest in raw materials to make your own pieces to sell. Among the main materials are pins, rhinestones, glass crystals, suede chain, ring base, braided leather, pendants and several other basic accessories for the production of costume pieces .
Practice, practice, practice!
For those of you who have come this far wanting to know how to make pieces to sell, it is important to keep in mind that the production process requires some techniques, skills and a lot of practice.
So practice over and over again until you get the best pieces possible. Because it won’t be the first time that you’ll be able to do something perfect. The important thing is not to give up right away, as this is a type of manual work for persistent people.
Gather Your Jewelry Making Supplies
First, you’ll need to gather up the right supplies and tools to help you create pieces. Some of the tools you’ll need to make jewelry include flat nose pliers, needle nose pliers, chain nose pliers, wire cutters, and jewelry glue.
Of course, the supplies you choose will differ based on the type of pieces you want to make and what designs you’ll be using. If you want to make earrings, for example, you’ll need to have earring backs.
And, if you’re making pieces for yourself or a loved one, you’ll want to make sure that they fit right. Have a measuring tape on hand. If you want to make rings, you’ll want a specific ring sizer.
Set Up A Workspace
You’ll then need to create a space in your home for you to make jewelry. You don’t want to make a mess or end up with scattered materials all over the place. You need to ensure that the jewelry making area you choose is clean, and won’t be disturbed by children or pets.
Find your inspiration
Of course, it’s hard to make pieces without having any inspiration. So, do some research and see if you can find anything that speaks to you. You can look at different blogs and online resources. Or, try buying jewelry-focused magazines and books.
You can get inspiration from the history of jewelry design. Some cultures that had interesting jewelry include the ancient Egyptians, the ancient Greeks, and the Renaissance period.
And, there are some modern-day options for inspiration, too. Navajo jewelry, with its focus on turquoise, is commonly seen in the American Southwest. Geometric designs are also popular in today’s world. Art deco is a little older, but that means it’s ripe for being brought back on trend with your own design.
Methods you can use
Handmade jewelry can be any type as long as it is handcrafted and not machine created from a shape. Handcrafted jewelry is typically a little more expensive than shape-based jewelry, although you can find handcrafted jewelry from other countries that is extremely affordable, often even cheaper than local mass-produced jewelry. For home making, however, most people focus on simpler types of jewelry such as beads.
Beadwork
Beadwork is one of the easiest types of handmade pieces because a lot of the hard work has already been done for you and you can do it without any special machines. In fact, handmade beaded jewelry is simple enough that you can learn to make it yourself and try out your own designs in no time. It is ideal for younger and older jewelers alike, novices and experts alike. A simple piece of handmade jewelry can be made this way in a short amount of time, making it ideal for last-minute gifts or a hobby to earn a little extra cash.
To get started, you’ll need to get some basic equipment. You’ll want some thread to place the beads on and a needle to help you place them. A good selection of different sized needles is a small investment to start with and can help reduce a number of potential headaches. Make sure you get a string strong enough that it won’t break easily, preferably a thread like Nymo, made especially for making handmade jewelry. A little beeswax to cover the yarn will also help make the project easier, and a nice case for your beads to keep them organized and a blanket of some sort to work with will complete your basic kit.
Then you will have to choose your accents. Until you have a good idea of what you like, you’ll want to walk into a real bead store so you can handle the beads and see what they have to offer. Many bead stores also offer spaces to work and occasionally even free workshops. For starters, start with beads no smaller than 11/0, as anything smaller than that will just be a headache and can frustrate you to the point where you want to stop cheating.
Precut stones
If you’ve already mastered the making of simple handcrafted jewelry using beadingtechniques, you can take it a step further. The next logical step is to make jewelry using pre-cut and pre-drilled stones, but using silver thread to secure them instead of thread. You can find a wide variety of pre-shaped finds, from all types of materials, that can help you make professional-looking earrings and necklaces in a snap.
Final words
With these tips, you’ll be able to get your new jewelry making hobby up to a strong start.
Do you need more advice about hobbies and more? Scroll through and read a few of our other informative posts, such as How to clean fashion jewelry: expert methods and tips
The post How to make jewelry: advice for beginners appeared first on HOW TO DO EVERYTHING.