Jewelry Making

Hi
So I’m really into scrapbooking and jewelry making and anything like that really. But supplies are so expensive to get! (I live in Australia)
I was just wondering if anyone knew of any online places to buy from besides eBay and Etsy because they are both quite expensive too.
Thanks
I live in Australia too and etsy I found a cheap seller I guess u have to search for the right one.

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I am looking for a jewelry making piece to make earrings. It is pretty much a hollow tube with a loop on the top. I have some already i’m just looking for the name or any ideas so i can buy them in wholesale on ebay! Thanks so much and i’ll give points for best answer.

Headpins?

http://www.firemountaingems.com/headpins.asp?navsrc=2

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I’m a new jewelry making supplies retailer. I need your suggestion about how to run the store, where to buy products at a low prices and how seize thc trends. If you’re a retailer too, Please give me some suggestions. Your suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

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I am looking for a place (in Seoul) with many shops selling both retail and wholesale jewelry making supplies like beads, ear hook, head pins, charms…etc

There is an email list for jewelers called Orchid (http://www.ganoksin.com/) based in Thailand.
You really should join it!

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I have recently gotten into jewelry making, and I was wondering, what kind of metal is ok to use for making earring hooks? (other than silver and gold) would copper, stainless steel or other ones work aswell?

Roddy says it pretty well, but it’s important. The only suitable metals for ear wires are gold and stainless steel. Even silver isn’t very good, but it’s OK. Silver makes the list, but only just barely. You can make your actual jewelry out of anything you want to, but the wires need to be one of those metals. It’s not because copper will turn their ears green, it’s because infection is guaranteed. Well, titanium would be fine, too, but I’ve never seen those widely available.

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I’ve been in a battle with alcoholism for quite some time now. I think that I need a hobby to keep myself busy in other ways and making jewelry seems like a great idea, but I’ve never been into this before. I’m hoping someone out there has a good interest in this sort of thing and could share some ideas. Any ideas would be great like materials or whatever. I’m assuming that Michaels would be a good place to get materials.

If your looking for a new hobby to help distract yourself, you may want to start by going to craft shows and discover what draws your interest.

That said any Micheals, Joann’s, or even a local bead store can get you started and supply you with beads for your projects if you have your heart set on making jewelry. Walmart carries basics that can get you started. Even Ebay has great sellers of beads.

The first book I would suggest you purchase on the subject is Bead Jewelry 101 by Karen Mitchell and Ann Mitchell. It covers all the basic tools, materials, and has some projects in it. I suggest grabbing the stores flyer’s for free projects as well.

I also suggest that you sign up for Simply Beads kit of the month club if you can afford it. website: http://www.simplybeadskitclub.com/ They’re a great way to gather a collection of ideas and even show you how to make them!

And never underestimate the internet for project ideas!

I found all these resources very helpful as I am a beginner at jewely making as well.

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I love making jewelry and it helps me unwind in the evenings and have been trying to decide what I should take to work on, but can not decide what can and can not be taken with me in my carry on bag. I know I can take my jump ring opener ring, but don’t know what other tools I can take with. Any suggestions will greatly appreciated. The trip I am taking will be part work and part vacation.

Learn to string pearls with knots. Even those funny looking pearl-stringing tweezers might be considered weapons though to the ultra-paranoid and stupid security folks.

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How do you begin to start making jewelry?
Where do I buy the materials to begin?

I want to start making Earrings, bracelets, necklaces.

I started jewelry when I was about 12 and I basically got my hands on an Oriental Trading catalog or a Fire Mountain Gems catalog as they have good tutorials in them. If you don’t want to get a catalog, I suggest you visit the websites to get some ideas. Also go to your local news agents or anywhere where they sell a variety of magazines. Find a jewelry magazine and try out some of the tutorials. Visiting Michael’s will be a good start as they have everything you will need and more. Start small with beading and work your way up, don’t be afraid to try new things don’t rush the creative flow and just have fun with it- I know I do!

Here is the Oriental Trading website along with some others:

http://www.orientaltrading.com/craft-hobby-supplies/beading-a1-388783-2-0.fltr

http://www.firemountaingems.com/beading_howtos/default.asp

If you ever need some help don’t be afraid to contact me via yahoo, I promise I wont bite!

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My sister -n- law & I are wanting to start a small jewelry business. We will make the jewelry ourselves and we want to sell it cheap but the beads & clasps are SO expensive. Does anyone know where we can find cheap supplies without having a minimum amount to buy?

Jewelry making can be such a fun hobby, but it can get expensive very fast. However, if you know where to shop and what to do, it can cut down enormously on costs.

Check out your local dollar stores - the ones by my house sell a bunch of beads for very affordable prices. Don’t only look for packs of beads, but for beaded necklaces/bracelets as well. My dollar store sells a ton of necklaces for a dollar or two, and I take them apart for the beads. One of my dollar stores (Dollarama) sells sets of a variety of colours of coloured beads for only a dollar fifty - I know there are Dollaramas all over Canada, but I’m not sure if they’re also located out of the country. Other dollar stores in my area sell beads, but the local Dollarama has the best variety, in my opinion. Dollar stores may also sell cheap lobster claws - I’ve used a couple that seemed to work fine with no problem, but be wary of them anyways as they might be made very cheaply.

If you have a Michaels Arts and Crafts near you, they also sell a ton of beads. They can sometimes be quite expensive at Michaels, but you can check out their weekly sales and coupons on their website before going. They have like weekly 40% coupons (You can use one per person per day) that can save you a ton of money.

Walmart also sells some beads for reasonable prices, but Walmart is usually my last resort because the variety isn’t amazing and the prices aren’t low enough for me.

Another thing you can do that I’ve been doing is visiting local thrift shops. I’ve bought some of my best beads from thrifts stores. They can sell a lot of second hand jewelry for cheap, and you can take them apart and use the beads. Sometimes you can even find some packs of new beads people have donated. I once found a bunch of brand-new beads in a thrift store being sold altogether for only 3 dollars, and I knew for a fact they were worth about thirty dollars! Another time I found a bag filled with unopened packs of wooden beads with gorgeous designs on them (There were hundreds of them) and it only cost me Two dollars! Another time they were selling three rolls of 400 feet hemp twine - one plain, one red and one blue - for only two dollars! Amazing finds! You need to keep visiting them - There are times when I can’t stop finding things I can use for necklaces, and times when I walk out empty handed. I visit thrift stores about twice a week just to check for materials!

Another idea, you can make some homemade beads by using bakeable polymer clay - you can make different shapes and sizes and make different patterns. There’s like an unlimited source of possibilities when using clay for beads! You just need to make sure there are holes in it and can attach easily to the string (I stick a toothpick in them and bake it with it in, then I pull it out once it’s cooked). You can paint your own designs on them if you want and you can also use clear nail polish to help protect it and give it a nice finishing shine! If you have a Michaels near you, they often seem to have sales on clay or you can use a coupon to buy a big pack of various coloured clay for almost half the price!

Another thing you can do is make homemade paper beads out of old magazines and catalogs. They can actually make really nice beads! You need scissors, glue, a toothpick (or something similar to wrap paper around), old magazines/catalogs and clear nail polish to put on it to protect it from unwrapping, water and give it a nice shine! You cut paper in a triangular shape from up to down the page and you roll it on the toothpick, put glue on before you finish rolling it, and then seal it with clear nail polish. You can find tons of instructions and tutorials if you google or youtube how to make paper beads.

Pretty much, you always need to keep an eye open for beads - look at any craft stores you can think of in your area, they might have some beads. Ask people if they know of any bead stores or even just stores that sell just a few. Oh, and always make sure the holes in the beads will be big enough to fit through the string you’re using before buying - it might be harder to judge at first, but after making a couple you’ll learn fast.

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I’m in the UK, and am wondering how i would go about setting up an jewelry making business. Nothing really major at first, but just selling it. I’ve got all of the jewelry that i’ve made, bags for them, little felt pouches and have sterilized the earrings before bagging them, but i just don’t know how to go about it.

Any help will be useful, thanks!
As Donna said, Check with your local authorities to find out what licences, permits, etc, are needed.

Next, Decide whether you want to have a site that hosts your site (like bigcartel or etsy) or if you want to register your own domain name (www.nameofyourstore.com).
For starters i recommend bigcartel and etsy, they are extremely easy to use!

Make sure you Take some nice pictures of your products.
You don’t have to hire a professional for hundreds of dollars, but if you have a friend that has a nice camera or some photography skills maybe ask them to take some pictures for a nice ring in exchange? Make sure you show a close up of the ring, a picture of someone wearing the ring, make it as easy as possibility to show customers what the product looks like. Customers want to know what they’re getting!

From there it’s all about getting the word across, of course tell family and friends but also set up a facebook, twitter and even a tumblr.
Also try to contact blog writers to get them to feature your jewelry on their blog.
Join forums, and don’t spam the forums with CHECK OUT MY JEWLERY ITS SO AWESOME!!!
have real conversations, soon enough people will see you around and be interested and they’ll click on your store link which you should have somewhere in your ’signature’.

Most people worry about quantity of fans/customers over quality!
It’s better to get a good 100 customers that love your stuff so much that they’re telling all their friends about it cause they can’t get enough, then 1,000 ‘fans’ who just ‘like’ your page on facebook as a ‘favor’.
You want to build relationships with your customers, not ‘one night stands’.
staring off with 100 true customers, will work out better in the long run.
In order to build these relationships sure you converse with your customers. Also make sure you ask them what they’d like to see, ask them tips on how to improve service; once in awhile offer exclusive coupon codes to people who sign up for the mailing list or people who ‘liked’ your facebook. Show them you appreciate them! . Get a mailing list and never sell anything without getting anybodies email.

Hopefully i helped

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