Approx. equipment costs:  About $20 for basic equipment

Approx. costs per project:  $5 and up for basic beading projects - depends on size, types of materials, and quality of findings  

Difficulty for beginners:  Easy

Approx. time to complete project:  basic projects take less than an hour

Types of Projects:    Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, anklets, eyeglass cords, etc. 

Variations:  Techniques such as bead stringing, bead weaving, wire wrapping, using polymer clay, and many advanced techniques

Jewelry making is much simpler than most people expect and anyone can do it.  This is a hobby where you can use your creativity to create unique and one of a kind jewelry you can wear and showcase daily.   There are many types of jewelry making that don’t require welding or other advanced techniques.  You can make beautiful, one of a kind pieces through assembling beads, stones, pearls and crystals with basic jewelry materials known as “findings”.  Pliers are used extensively to cut, bend, and manipulate the findings to assemble a piece of jewelry.  Findings include clasps, connectors, ear wires, jump rings, and many others.   Jewelry can be made from specific designs or from custom layouts of beads and other elements. 

Some of the basic techniques include stringing and knotting, bead weaving, and wire wrapping.    

o       Stringing is the most basic technique where beads, pendants, crystals or stones are threaded onto a thread or cord.  Knot or crimps are typically placed between them to separate the pieces.

o       Bead weaving is where smaller beads are threaded and interlaced to make intricate designs.

o       Wire wrapping is where wire itself is wrapped to become the jewelry elements.  Wire can also be combined with beads and other elements to form unique pieces.    You can even make your own findings with wire.

A variety of different threads/wires/cords, findings and stringing elements (beads, pearls, stones, or crystals) are made from different materials and come in different shapes, sizes, and colors.  These variations and the way in which they are used within the piece make up the basic elements of a piece design.  Materials range in prices due to their materials and their quality.   Most simple findings are a base metal and dipped in silver, gold, or nickel.   More expensive ones may be pure gold or other metals.  The threads/wires/cords, findings and stringing elements are typically included with different project ideas; you can also expirement with different items to create your unique jewelry designs.      

• Flat nose pliers
• Round nose pliers
• Wire Cutters
• Crimp pliers
• Bead board (recommended)
• Organizer (recommended for beads and findings)
• Ruler or tape measure

Project Supplies:

• Threads or cord for stringing (vary by weights, colors, and materials)
• Beads, pearls, stones, and/or crystals
• Wire
• Connectors (headpins and eyepins)
• Jump rings
• Crimp beads
• Earwire, posts, clips (for earrings)
• Clasps
• Bead tips, clamshells, and end caps (cover knots and connect to clasps)

The easiest and most common way that people get into jewelry making is through bead stringing.   Find a few sample projects that you can undertake that use the same types of beads and findings, including earrings, necklaces, and bracelets.   Start with some inexpensive beads and findings as well as 1-2 smaller rolls of different types of beading thread.  Learn some of the basic techniques with these low cost supplies.  Try a few different types of projects to understand what materials and techniques you like the best.  Then move up to higher end findings and more advanced projects.    

Here are some examples of basic tools you could start with:   

• Here is a Great Beader's Tool Kit from Amazon.com
• A beginner set of beading pliers from JoAnn.com

You will also need some materials, including:

• Select an assortment of findings (based on your project)
• Select an assortment of beads
• Beading Wire
• If you think you are going to do a lot of jewelry making, you may want a nice Beadboard and/or a nice organizer (a beadboard is included with this one)

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