Jewelry Making

I love being creative. I would like to start making some gorgeous jewelry! I have a few questions:
1. What sites can I go on to get some instructions on making some really nice jewelry?
2.How much money do I need to get a really big selection?
3. Where can I sell my jewelry? I am already planning on going to an expo near where I live?
4. How do I get my name out there?

Any tips or current fashion advice is welcome!
Thank you
Hi,
I am a jewelry maker myself, I started last year and have already been making a fair profit. I am very creative as well and like to use original ideas. I get inspiration from online jewelry making sites, which I have listed below.

1. Many online bead shops have ideas for jewelry on their sites. Fire Mountain Jems has great instructional videos and patterns, that’s where I go for all my ideas!
http://www.firemountaingems.com/beading_howtos/default.asp

2. I have personally spent under 100 dollars, mostly because I spend a lot of time searching for good deals, and I also don’t have a huge amount of inventory. I also use a free hosting site which gives me a .webs website instead of .com, so that saves a lot of money.
http://www.webs.com

3. I sell most of my jewelry online. My website brings in most of the profits, but I also list my jewelry on online craft stores like Etsy and Artfire. (Personally, I prefer ArtFire because there’s no listing fees.)
http://www.etsy.com
http://www.artfire.com

4. The best way to advertise on a low budget is word of mouth. If you do have a big amount of money to spend, Google AdWords is a great place to advertise, as well as Facebook Ads. If you’d rather not spend a lot on advertising, like I said, word of mouth to your friends and family spreads around fast. Trust me, they’ll tell their friends if you do a good job, so make sure you put a lot of effort into your projects. Also, Vista Print offers free business cards with shipping and handling fees. I got 250 cards for $8. It’s little deals like that that end up saving you big amounts of money in the future.

Swarovski Crystals are very popular right now. They’re gorgeous and everyone is trying to get their hands on them. I get most of my beads from Crystal Bead Shop.
http://www.crystalbeadshop.com

Hope I helped! If you want any more information, email me at crystalkeepsakes@live.ca. Have a great day!

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Guys pls. help, what kind of resin should I use to make a resin jewelry, And where can I buy them here in the Philippines? Also their accessories & tools needed for the project. Please I need your help. Thanks alot in advance.

"Resin" –even just for "jewelry making"– is a fairly large topic. There isn’t just one kind of resin, and one way to use it, for example…there are many.

You can though buy various kinds and brands of clear craft resin at craft stores, hobby stores, art supply stores, and some even at hardware and Home Depot-type stores, in general, but each place may have only a few brands. I’d recommend you learn which type will work for what you have in mind before purchasing though, and perhaps the brand name(s).

Check out some of my previous answers here in these questions to get started on understanding more about "resins":
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091115185640AAXBfZF
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AqRoGzjtN95Is41Kmm_SHHfsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20091011042033AAytK0x
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100402061140AAD0jwB
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100206091500AA7eXFv
and maybe:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100521191232AACynOx

Then for more info/details/lessons/supplies/etc re using resins, check out this page at my site:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/other_materials.htm

HTH,
Diane B.

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I have been very passionate about jewelry my entire life. As an adult, I have made dozens of beaded pieces and several wire wrapped pieces. I’m very interested in learning other techniques to take my jewelry making to the next level but I don’t know where to start. Since I am a busy professional, I’m interested in taking weekend classes either group or private.

I currently live in the Sonoma County in California. I would love any local leads or resources. I don’t know where to start as to learning how to proceed with bench work, molds and other techniques.

You can check whether there happen to be night classes at any university near you which offers jewelry classes, though there are probably not too many. But you can also ask the professors there for advice where to go.
You can check the offerings of local community art centers.
http://www.fallbrookschoolofthearts.org/classes/jewelry-making.html
Local shops where you can buy beads often offer short workshops.

Unfortunately I don’t know whether there are corresponding institutions in California, but the Penland School of Crafts has good classes:http://www.penland.org/, if you can’t find anything closer maybe spend a week vacation there.

And of course you can check your library and bookstores for inspiration. You could for example look into paper jewelry for a different and not tool intensive route to explore. You could also search the internet, Rio grande has various project suggestions:http://forum.riogrande.com/?q=projects

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I see people make home made jewelry with stamped stirling silver i.e. words stamped on a flat piece…

Example:

http://cynthiagarrett.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341d69c953ef0120a6721782970c-500wi

How is it done? What tools are needed to do this? Where can you buy them? Is it hard? Any tips?

In the piece you referred to, one either uses letter stamps or engraves the letters using engraving tools. Stamping tools can be purchased with all jewelry tools suppliers. An example can be seen here: http://www.ottofrei.com/store/product.php?productid=7669
where the hallmark stamp, 925, is shown for a bent stamp that allows stamping the inner shanks of a ring.
Sarit Designs - Unique Handcrafted Jewelry
http://sarit-jewelry.com

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I don’t want to lock down a name for one or the other I want to incorporate both cupcake decorating and jewelry making.

Since you want to incorporate both concepts in the name, I would recommend this totally different approach to selecting a name. It involves getting some of your friends and perhaps family together and believe me it works.

Here are also some of the top things to focus on when choosing a name.

Try the links below

Good Luck

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Need a website i can print ebook off of free on how to make resin jewelry?

http://www.ehow.com/making-resin-jewelry/

http://www.inspiri-art-and-craft.com/resin-jewelry.html

http://www.capitolagirl.com/2009/03/making-resin-jewelry.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAEKnv0OU08

http://www.beadinggem.com/2008/07/bubble-trouble-in-resin-jewelry-making.html

http://www.craftstylish.com/item/8402/how-to-make-resin-jewelry-video-tutorial

http://resinobsessionblog.blogspot.com/

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I make wire jewelry and want to expand to gold and silver, but everything I can find is pretty pricey. I also need copper, steel, and brass wire for what I make. Know of anywhere I can find it cheap?

Try with Pasternak Findings. They offer great prices on gold and silver findings and an excellent service.
Silver wires: http://www.pasternakfindings.com/category/sterling_silver_wire
Gold wires: http://www.pasternakfindings.com/category/gold_wire
Goldfilled wires: http://www.pasternakfindings.com/category/gold_filled_wire

Of course, solid gold and silver are never cheap. These are precious metals that depend on global exchange market…
Good luck!
Sarit Designs - Handcrafted Israeli Jewelry
http://sarit-jewelry.com

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I just started making jewelry and I cannot find any celluloid roses anywhere! Please help!!

I haven’t checked their websites for the roses, but my favorite sources are FireMountain Gems, Goody Beads, Oriental Trading, Joann’s.

The most likely would be Fire Mountain. You would be amazed at what they have. Metal shapes, ceramic shapes, glass shapes…..

They have $5 shipping for anywhere in US, any size order.

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I want to start making jewelry… not just beads and stuff, but like metal or pewter pendants. Where Do I even begin?

Here is a lovely site.

http://jewelrymaking.about.com/od/beginnerscorner/Beginners_Corner.htm

Click on thr blue line above

have a browse around when you get to the page.

There is a list of projects for you to click on.

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I make jewelry. I have a pair of cutters that have a fine point on them to make close cuts. I need a new pair. I’ve bought three pair but I can’t find a cutter that lasts longer than a couple of cuts.

Here are some great tools suppliers:
http://www.riogrande.com
http://www.contenti.com/
http://www.ottofrei.com/

Sarit Designs - Handcrafted Jewelry
http://sarit-jewelry.com

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