With a little time, effort, and skill, you can use a variety of tools and materials to make jewelry. You can use this skill to start a business or make necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings for your own use.
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Method 1 of 3: Designing Your Jewelry
Step 1. Looking for ideas
To design your own jewelry, you first need to come up with ideas. This can help you to think about which aspects of the design are most important to you and which will best suit your needs.
- View your collection. See your jewelry, bought or made by someone else. You can copy or take ideas from aspects of jewelry that you already own and love. Maybe you like beads or clasps or color combinations. You can also look at your own collection to see if there's any type of jewelry you might need. Find something that your collection lacks, such as a lack of casual jewelry for everyday use, and think of what you can make for that purpose.
- Look in the shops. Go to stores that specialize in selling jewelry, such as Claire's, or larger stores with a jewelry section, such as Macy's, to get an idea of what you want to make. The large collection of jewelry in these stores allows you to get more ideas, also helps you stay ahead of fashion trends.
- See more. You can see the jewelry your friends have. What you see in magazines and the internet, and what your favorite celebrities are wearing. Think about what you like in their jewelry and what kind of jewelry you would like to wear yourself.
- Look for old-fashioned or vintage-style jewelry. By looking at ancient jewelry and the history of jewelry, you can easily see the many types of jewelry styles. Research aspects of old jewelry that you love to find design elements you want to emulate.
Step 2. Define your materials
Once you have decided which aspect of the design you like the most and what your needs and desires are, you need to decide which material will work best for you. Some of the best material choices for you. Some of the material choices will be based on taste, some will be based on availability, and some will be based on necessity.
- Metal. Metal or metal is usually used in the form of wires, chains and rings that bind together other elements in jewelry. The type of metal used will depend on what it will be used for, also depending on personal taste. For example, metal is soft to bend and can be used when you need to make a circle. About the chosen metal is gold or metal, depending on personal taste.
- Stones. You may be able to use stones or gemstones to make your jewelry, especially if you are making pendants or rings. Choose stones based on personal taste, but be aware that some stones are more expensive than others. You can also use artificial stone to save. When choosing a color, try to choose a color that matches your natural eye color or matches the color of your outfit. This will make your jewelry stand out and show off your beautiful designs.
- Other materials can also be used, depending on the look you want to achieve. If metals and gemstones are too traditional for you, try alternative materials such as wood, resin, plastic, string and other less common materials.
Step 3. Sketch it
Before making your jewelry, you can sketch it, and then draw the final design. This will allow you to plan how large or long the elements are to be used and ensure you have a plan that you can follow. This will prevent you from wasting material.
Drawing a sketch on graph paper can help you outline design elements and measure them better. You'll also need to use tools like a ruler, stencil, and tracing paper to hone your design drawing
Method 2 of 3: Collecting Supplies
Step 1. Prepare the chain
If you don't want to use a string of beads but prefer to attach a pendulum or beads to a chain, buying a chain will be very important. Chains are available in several sizes and are cut with wire cutters or pliers.
Step 2. Prepare the clasps
There are various types of clasps (the clasp or hook is the part of the jewelry that is used to open and lock the jewelry). You need to choose the best one for your piece, based on the type of jewelry, as well as the size and weight of your string and beads. Clasps can also be chosen from an aesthetic look or can be left looking plain and simple.
- Pinch the lobster. The most common clasps for necklaces and bracelets in recent years, lobster clasps are quite strong and easy to use.
- Clamp the toggle. Toggles are great for a more fluid, modern look. Toggles are especially suited to jewelry that has a large elemental display. The toggle is a simple clasp that is easy to use but is less tight than some of the other clasps.
- Clamp the barrel (barrel). This is a very strong clamp consisting of two tubes that are twisted together like screws. These clasps are best used on necklaces, but you need some dexterity to close your jewelry with clasps like this.
- Hook and eye. A simple, easy-to-make clasp with the right tools, the hook and eye consists of a hook and a loop. These clasps are less strong and are best used on heavy necklaces that will hold the clasps locked in weight.
Step 3. Think about using beads
Beads are often used in making jewelry, and can make for an attractive look on a simple chain, or they can be strung to support a pendant that looks more luxurious. Some beads are not too expensive, some are quite expensive depending on the material and are available in various types of materials.
Beads are available in all colors and are made of a wide variety of materials: plastic, glass, wood, shell, bone, stone, clay, polymer, and a wide variety of other materials
Step 4. Use gemstones to decorate
If you want to give your jewelry sparkle, use real or fake gemstones. Make sure that if you plan to use the stone, you need a suitable setting to place it on the jewelry project dna. Gemstones can be inexpensive or very expensive, depending on the size, type and quality of the stone.
Gemstones commonly used in jewelry include diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, amethysts, opals, and topaz
Step 5. Buy a rope
To join or string beads, pendants and pendants, you need a material that is strong enough and flexible. Depending on the weight of the materials used and your plan to tie them together, you can use wire, elastic, string, fishing line, and a variety of other materials.
Step 6. Purchase wire for the structure
You will need bigger, more flexible wire to make many jewelry components. Examples of wire for structures include chainrings, posts, connecting beams, and spacers. Make sure you check the wire size before buying to make sure it's the right wire for your project.
Step 7. Buy the right equipment
You will want and need some equipment to make jewelry from simple to complex. If your project requires metal work, certain tools are required. Make sure the tool is of good quality and sharp. Blunt tools can usually injure yourself.
- Prepare a set of pliers. Different types of pliers are needed to make different pieces of jewelry. These include nylon jaw pliers (nylon jaw pliers), round nose pliers (round nose pliers), chain nose pliers (chain nose pliers), and bent chain nose pliers (bent chain nose pliers).
- Scissors and wire cutters. Have the right tools ready and placed near you for cutting. Scissors are used for fishing line and elastic rope. Always use a wire cutter to cut the wire, cutting the wire with scissors may injure you.
Method 3 of 3: Basic Skills
Step 1. Straighten the wire
This is the first step in making your jewelry. If your wire bends when you cut it, it will bend when you use it as jewelry, as it is difficult to straighten the wire after it is cut.
Start holding the coil with the wire stretched to a certain length. Using nylon jaw pliers, pull the wire along the specified length until it is straight. You can flip the wire or hold it at a different angle every now and then, to make sure the wire is straight from all sides
Step 2. Cut the wire
You can use flush cutters that are specifically designed for jewelry making. This tool allows you to produce different ends of wire, both flat and angled.
- Know the side of the cutter that makes a certain type of cut and use it as needed. Be careful with this cutter as it is very sharp.
- Do not use blunt cutters as this could injure yourself. If the cutter is not sharp enough, there is a risk that the pliers will slip on the wire.
Step 3. Bend the wire
Bending wire at sharp angles is a skill required in jewelry making. This is easily achieved using pliers, especially with bent chain nose pliers. Just pinch the wire with pliers and bend it with your fingers until the desired angle is reached.
Step 4. Create a circle
You can easily make a loop at the end of the wire. This is useful for making some jewelry components. Start by clamping the wire with round nose pliers, until only a small amount of wire is coming out of the side of the pliers. Then bend the wire around the jaw of the pliers until a circle like the letter p is formed.
You can make this loop toward the center by pinching the wire with round nose pliers at the point where this circle starts and bending it slightly back. This often causes the loop to open but it's easy to close again
Step 5. Attach the clasps
Hooking clasps is necessary for the final processing of necklaces and bracelets. The easiest method for attaching clasps is to use a clamp bead. When you have finished stringing all the beads, insert the bead clamp at the end. Loop the wire through the end of the clip loop and through the clamp bead. Thread the wire into the last few beads, pull it tight, close the clamping bead by pressing it with the clamping pliers, and then trim off the remaining wire.
Step 6. Measure the jewelry
Necklaces and bracelets should be made to personal taste, but rings need to be measured carefully. Use a ring gauge or measure your finger by looping the thread and compare the measurements with standard sizes, which can be easily found online.
