Jewelry Making Basics

[angelmage99]

Jewelry Making Basics

Jewelry-Making is becoming more and more common in the cosplay community. This thread is here to help you learn about making jewelry pieces and the basic tools and components.

If you have any topic you'd like me to cover. Please PM me and I'll start typing it up right away.

 

[angelmage99]

Tools

These are the tools that you'll need in making Jewelry. This post will talk about the 'must haves' and then a few other common tools as well. I will adding additional tools and features in future post.

Here are the basic tools

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Here are other tool Types

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[angelmage99]

Types of Jewelry Making

There is a variety of ways to make jewelry and each one has it's own skill set to develop. Many jewelry makers use one or more forms to make a piece or jewelry. So in many ways this post is also about key terms.

Beading: Using beads in your jewelry. This can be used with cord or with metal pieces.
Examples:

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Clay: Making beads from clay. Usually made from polymer clay
Examples

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Fused Glass: Just as it sounds its when you fuse two pieces of glass together. This usually gives an opal look to the glass part of the jewelry.

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Lost Wax Casting: This is when you make a mold from a wax material and pour in a melted metal or plastic to make a shape

Macrame Jewelry: A type of weaved jewelry. Made with cord and bits

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Metal Clay: Metal clay is metal that is sculpted into design and Then burned so it removes the impurities, leaving the design.

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Metal-smithing (sometimes called Chain): Hammering or smelting jewelry. This requires a forge.

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Stamping: Hammering in a design.

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Resin: Using proxy resin to make a plastic jewelry Design.

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Wire Wrapping: Wrapping Wire around to make a shape and jewelry.

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[angelmage99]

Basic Supplies: Findings and Bases.

This does not include pilers. For pilers please look above.

When you go to buy for first round of findings please think of getting a basic kit in the metal color of your desire to start.

Headpins: Pin like finding. Used for dangling pieces.
Eyepins: Similar to headpins, but with a loop at the end instead of it being flat. Used for connecting two pieces together.
Crimp Beads/Tubes: Used for holding items in place or creating an ending of a jewelry piece.
Jump Rings: Rings over various sizes that are used to connect to parts of a jewelry piece together.
Wire: Used in wire wrapping and comes in various sizes/colors.
Chain: Just as it sounds chain pieces that are usually used in making jewelry pieces.
Earring Pieces: Pieces that connect to your ears.
Needle: Used for putting thread through beads.
Thread: Used in beading to create a necklace.
Ribbon: Used to make chokers.
Elastic: Used to make bracelets
Cord: Used for making chokers, necklaces, and bracelets.
Lobster Clasp: Used to connect two ends of a necklace or bracelet with out Elastic.
Toogle: Used to connect two ends of a necklace or braclet.
 

[angelmage99]

Extra Literature

Here is a some great videos and pages about using basic items in jewelry making.

Using a Beading Board
Jewelry 101: Materials Video
Jewelry 101: Making Simple and Wrapped Wire Loops Video
https://www.hobbylobby.com/DIY-Projects-Videos/Jewelry-Making/Jewelry-101--Using-Crimp-Beads-and-Covers-Video/p/14_2216_jewelry_101_crimp_beads_video
Beading Basics
Jewelry Making 101  

[angelmage99]

Start with Your Base

When starting a necklace. You need to figure out what the main material you're going to work with. Here is a glimpse of what you can use and what is the best form for them.

Chain

Chain comes in a wide variety, colors, and material. This base is great if you're going for a metal look, however, beads can't be used without the help of headpins or eyepins. Because it is metal it's also not as flowly, but it will keep any charms in place and it's one of the easiest materials to work with.

Wire

Wire is the stiffest of the material to work with. Usually working with wire in necklace form will be simple and very stiff. Usually wire wrap bracelets and earring will be more detailed. The wire comes in gauges of various sizes and colors. Wire can be difficult for even the most experience person to work and if you mess up big the project can be ruined.

Thread

Thread is the material with the most flow and be used to make placement knots without using crimps. The thread comes in many times of colors and sizes. This material is the best to use with beads with you're going a small design or if you're using seed beads.

Elastic

Elastic will stretch the most out of the material, but you have to be careful not to use heavy beads or charms when making items with elastic. Usually you'll only use elastic to make bracelets.

Plastic Cord

Plastic cord is used for making all kinds of jewelry as an alternative to using thread and is used between chain pieces to give it a bit of flow or to use beads with chain.

Ribbon

Ribbon is used usually to make chokers, but can be used to do normal necklaces or bracelets. These designs come out thicker and will sometimes will have a charm on it. You can pretty much use normal ribbon, but be careful not to cut the ribbon lengthwise or a ribbon that will be ruff against your skin.

Cord

Cord is a thick and comes in leather, plant materials, or plastic. Because it is think most designs are with large beads or charms.

Lace

Lace is one of the most traditional forms of necklace making. Very similar to ribbon in nation, but you can mix and match ribbon with it. This form can be used with large beads, but most of the time rhinestones are added to it and/or charms.

Elastic Ribbon

Elastic ribbon stretches and is usually used to make chokers and can have charms added to it.

 

[angelmage99]

Jump Rings

The purpose of jump rings is to connect two pieces of jewelry together. They come in two forms Open and Close. Open jump rings have a slit to connect pieces while closed needs pieces connected to it.

They come in various sizes and it's important to find the correct size or it can cause your piece to look too big or too small. Also not all jewelry pieces can be connected with pieces too small as it wont allow for the to parts to be placed within the ring.

Here is now you open and close open jump rings


 

[angelmage99]

Basic Jewelry Making Videos

Here are some videos to help you learn more about basic jewelrycrafting.