Top 10 tips for anyone new to jewellery making…

We have complied a list of some of the most important things you may need to know when starting out in the world of jewellery making, take a look…

1.    Books and magazines – These are an excellent way of getting ideas and inspiration as well as having a go at some of the basic techniques.We love ‘Making Jewellery Magazine’ which is one of the most popular ones particularly for beading, metal clay, silver and other bits and pieces.

2.    Wear it – Once you have started making your own jewellery make sure you wear it! It’s one of the best ways of showing off your new skill, particularly if you want to sell some of your work. There is no better advert than yourself. It truly is a great feeling when you are sporting one of your designs, get a compliment about it and can reply with ‘Oh thanks, I made it myself’ (big cheesy grin).

3.    Invest in your tools – They are your closest allies. It can be very tempting at first to always go for the cheapest option when it comes to buying tools such as pliers, saws, starter kits etc… Although we are always out for a bargain and saving money, it really is worth spending that little bit extra to get good quality tools that will last and help to give your pieces a professional finish. Check out a couple of our favourite jewellery tool suppliers below:

London Jewellery Supplies – www.londonjewellerysupplies.co.uk

Cooksons Gold – www.cooksongold.com

4.    Do a class (or 2 or 3 or 10!) – Ok so we might be a bit biased here, but the best investment you will ever make either as a hobbyist or soon to be professional jeweller, is your training such as jewellery making classes, events, conferences etc… This is something that will sort out the cream of the crop.  Take Jessica, our director, in here first year of jewellery making she invested £3000 in her own jewellery training and that is the single most important investment she has made – a few years later she has now set up and runs the London Jewellery School.

5.    Google, Google and Google again! – There is so much information online to help anyone who would like to have a go or get into jewellery making. From Facebook and You Tube to Google listings and craft forums there are endless pages of tips, advice, projects and images to get you going on your bejewelled journey.

6.    Start simple – People often tell us that they would love to make jewellery but feel a little overwhelmed about the many different options, styles available to them and choosing where to start.  Its quite a good idea to choose one thing you would like to have a go at to start with and focus on that, once you have done that if you feel inspired to try other avenues then great. Beading is a great starting point as it is easy to do at home but also very popular with new starters is metal clay and silver jewellery.

7.    Get down with the lingo – When you start learning how to make jewellery it can almost be like learning a new language so don’t get put off by the new words – we like this website which gives quite a good glossary of the main terms you might come across –http://www.beadaddict.co.uk/uk/glossary.htm

8.    Don’t be put off by mistakes – when learning a new skill, we all make mistakes or end up with things that we don’t like or just didn’t quite go to plan. Try not to be disheartened if your pieces aren’t perfect every time, stick with it and with a little perseverance you will be make masterpieces in no time.

9.    A word of warning – it’s addictive! – Well you can’t say that we didn’t warn you. Its official: jewellery making is addictive. Some possible side effects you may suffer include; excessive bead collecting, lack of sleep from excitement, loss of appetite (there is not time to eat, must make!) and infecting close friends and relatives by showering them with your handmade bling.

10.  Enjoy yourself – last but surely not least, make sure you enjoy yourself. Making jewellery is such a fun, creative, rewarding and often therapeutic activity and taking pleasure every piece you make will show through your designs and pieces too.

Hope you liked our top tips, feel free to add your own tips for everyone to see in the comments box below.

Happy Making LJS x