7 Jewelry Making Supplies You Can’t Go Without
Are you making your own jewelry? Not without these tools! Here are the 7 jewelry making supplies that you simply can not go without!
Humans have been making jewelry for a long time. A really long time.
Some scientists believe that even the Neanderthals were making jewelry as long as 42,000 years ago.
Making and wearing jewelry is an ancient form of human expression that we still enjoy today. That being said, a few things have changed. For example, you probably won’t be making any necklaces out of human bones.
Are you ready to start making your own jewelry at home? Here are seven jewelry making supplies you’ll want to have at hand from the get go.
1. Pliers
The practice of jewelry making has come a long way over thousands of years. A long, long time ago, people made jewelry with the tools and materials that were available to them.
Nowadays, we are blessed to be able to purchase the tools we need for just about any task we can imagine. This also means that we aren’t limited by the materials out of which we can fashion beautiful jewelry. Think of how amazed ancient humans would be by the existance of simple pliers!
You won’t want any old pliers for jewelry making, though. To make jewelry at home, you’ll need a couple of different kinds.
Flat Nose
When you’re making your own jewelry, you’ll always want your flat nose pliers at hand. They’ll help you finish wire-wrapped ends, open jump rings, and complete a bunch of other little tasks that’ll come up along the way.
You might want to think about having two pairs of flat nose pliers. This way you won’t leave a crimp in the metal when grasping things. Make sure you buy pliers that have a smooth surface in between its jaws.
Round Nose
Whenever you want to make a smooth curve, you’ll want to use round nose pliers. They’ll help you make jump rings, bens, hoops and loops, and clasps.
Nylon Tipped
Nylon tipped pliers are awesome especially when you’re starting out. This is because it’s inevitable that you’ll get some kinks in your materia when you’re just learning. Instead of throwing away the material, you can use nylon-tipped pliers to smooth out the kink.
2. Wire Cutters
Jewelry-maker beware: there are lots of cheap wire cutters out there on the market. This isn’t the place you want to cut corners because they’ll just wear out quickly and need to be replaced. This is particularly true when you’re trying to cut through thick wire.
Wire cutters are an important part of your jewelry making arsenal, so buy high-quality ones. However, if you don’t have wire cutters and you’re cutting through a thin wire, you can use toenail clippers. They actually work great for this purpose!
3. Flush Cutter
A flush cutter is a great addition to your jewelry making supplies, particularly if you’re learning tons of new wire-wrapping techniques. While you use them the same way you would use wire cutters, they have the added benefit of never-ever leaving loose ends.
Remember, though, flush cutters can only handle cutting wires up to a certain size. If you don’t pay attention to the gauge limitation of your flush cutter, you can ruin the tool.
4. Ruler
This is most likely a tool you already have at home in your arts and crafts supply box. You can buy rulers specific for jewelry making or just use a regular-old ruler like the one you used in school.
As an interesting fact, did you know that the ruler has a fascinating history reaching back thousands of years, too? In the Indus River Valley, they were using rulers made out of ivory in 1500 BC. The oldest known ruler is from 2650 BC and was made of copper alloy.
While the story of the ruler is long, modern features of the rulers we know and love weren’t invented that long ago, in the grand scheme of things. For example, did you know that the first flexible ruler wasn’t invented until 1902?
5. Disk Punch
If you want to cut shapes out of metal as a part of your DIY jewelry making, you’re going to want to get a disk punch.
When you use a disk punch, you can cut circles, squares, and even other shapes like hearts in an even and repetitive manner. Using a disk punch is easy. All you do is place a metal sheet in between the two layers, insert the proper shape and procede hammering out the disk.
There are different types of hammers people use for making at home jewelry. Some people prefer using a brass hammer because it is essentially not too heavy and not too light.
6. Jeweler’s Saw
Are you making pieces that have a lot of tiny details and intricate cuts? Then you’re going to want to make sure you have a jeweler’s saw.
When you buy a jeweler’s saw, you can use a wide range of blade sizes. They also come in different sizes of blade frames.
7. Wire
You can purchase wire in lots of different materials. Rose gold, gold-filled, sterling silver, copper, and aluminum wire are just some of your options. They also come in different sizes which are measured in gauges.
Just so you know, gauge is frequently abbreviated as “ga.” That means if a wire is 20 gauge, you might see it written as 20ga.
Wire also comes in different shapes. You can find wire that is round, square, half round, and twisted.
Something important to understand that this measurement system works somewhat counterintuitively. Basically, the thinner the wire, the higher it’s gauge number is.
Practice Material
First of all, when you’re just getting started you want to have material to practice with. Get some wire of different sizes in copper or another base material. This is a great way to help you get a sense and a feel for the craft without putting too much pressure on yourself or spending too much money.
If you know any more experienced jewelry makers, you could ask them if they have any scraps to spare. It’s a great idea to get a sense of the hand-feel of jewelry making before jumping into your first project.
24-Gauge Wire
As explained earlier, 24-gauge wire is thicker than 30-gauge wire. This wire is good to have in your jewelry-making kit when you are using beads with larger holes or for pieces that could use a little extra strength.
26-Gauge Wire
This wire is both hefty enough to be secure but think enough to make it so wire-wrapping is no problem. Thin enough to fit through most beads you’ll encounter, this is a great standard wire size. Remember to be careful to not bend or crimp it too many times, though, as it isn’t a very sturdy size.
28- or 30-Gauge Wire
Are you planning on working with tiny beads made of precious stone? If so, you’ll be dealing with their itty-bitty holes. For this purpose, you’ll want to keep some extra-thin wire on hand.
Remember, though, this super thin wire isn’t great for wire-wrapping precious stone beads onto a piece of jewelry that will experience a bit of jostling in its daily wear. It’s delicate and should be treated as such.
These Jewelry Making Supplies Will Help You Become a Pro in No Time
Making jewelry is a fun and creative way to express yourself. The only thing that limits you is your own imagination!
Whether you want to make jewelry for your daughter and her friends, to accent your own style, or to start your own small business, the world is your oyster. With so many different types of jewelry you can make to an endless list of possible materials, jewelry making is something you could do for the rest of your life and never get bored.
If you ever feel stuck for ideas, just take a stroll around the internet for inspiration. There are so many creative people making beautiful, fun, and unique pieces that your creative juices will be fired up in no time.
When starting a new hobby, it can be tempting to avoid making any investments. Eventually, though, if you don’t just buy the right tools your fun hobby will end up becoming inefficient and unpleasant.
Sure, you could try and save some money by using subpar jewelry making supplies, but it’s only going to frustrate you and hold back your growth. If you’ve decided that you want to start making jewelry at home, then you’ll want to bite the bullet and load up on the necessary supplies.
Is it time for you to purchase high-quality jewelry making tools? Check out our wide selection of everything you’ll need to make your own jewelry at home.