Once you have learned the basics check out this site for more detailed information on how to design and sell handmade jewelry:

http://www.beading-design-jewelry.com

The whole site is a home based jewelry business and design guide with hundreds of ideas and tips to inspire you to design and create unique bead jewelry designs that will give you an edge in the market place. This site includes in-depth articles on marketing and selling jewelry, how to profit from your own bead jewelry kits, learn how to excel your jewelry designing skills, design inspiration and innovation, how to succeed at craft shows, how to get your jewelry into shops, how to sell your jewelry over the internet, pricing and displaying jewelry to sell, and dozens of other topics.

A great resource for inspiration and innovation in marketing and designing handmade bead jewelry.

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For a beginner, it best to buy metal elements; pins wires and ring; beads and jewels; and metal finding separately and then put them together however your imagination sees fit. Places such as Fire Mountain Gems have thousands of beads, metal pieces, finding, etc that you can turn into an infinite number of designs. it’s a source used by both pros and hobbyists. Some always use precast elements and never bother with metal work beyond the wire.

If you are interested in metal work, that is: casting your own metal elements then it is best to take courses from either an established metalworker or from an art college. Metal working require special tools and equipment and there are serious safety concerns that you need to be aware of when working with molten metal. Many jewelry makers use either lost wax casting or precious metal clay for gold and silver. In lost wax you carve your piece from wax, then turn it into a plaster mold, then the wax is melted away and the gold added into the plaster. Gold melts at a very high heat and you need furnaces, crucibles, things not available at your local Michaels! In addition, enamelling kilns run very hot and you need a special place for one, if you decide to go into enamelling. You need proper instruction on the safe operation of these dangerous tools.

About.com has both a jewelry making and a bead-working section: Here’s the start page for the hobby section, in the menus there’s links to both beads and jewelry: http://www.about.com/hobbies/

Craftster.org in an on line community of people who make things and they have a jewelry section. http://www.craftster.org/

Bead and Button magazine has an extensive website with projects, message boards and resources aimed to every level of jewelry maker: http://www.beadandbutton.com/bnb/default.aspx
They have a sister publication for more advanced jewelry makers: http://www.artjewelrymag.com/art/

Here’s Fire Mountain Gems, one of th best on line bead and jewelry component sources: http://www.firemountaingems.com/

My personal advice: Invest in good tools such as wire cutters, round and chain nose pliers, crimpers, etc. These will make the work easier and more pleasant. Also buy high quality wires and findings. The rings, clasps and parts that hold your creations together can make or break a design. The devil is in the details, as they say. Spending a fortune on fine crystals is all for nothing if they are put together sloppily with jump rings that turn green, wires that turn black and clasps that break.

Good luck!
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