Top 5 jewellery making skills and the tools to help

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by: clickthrough
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Date: Tue, 12 Jul 2011 Time: 1:28 PM
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There are several jewellery making skills and tools to help which beginners need to take in mind when starting jewellery making either as part of their business or simply as a hobby. These are not necessarily practical skills but skills that also recognise the key components of jewellery making. These top five jewellery making skills are essential to know in order to know exactly the intricacies of jewellery making and the amount of jewellery making supplies you should have.

The first is not really a practical jewellery making skill, but a consideration you should be aware of and this concerns thinking up great designs and getting inspiration. It is important to have an idea of what type of jewellery you want to make. You may be inspired by certain patterns or previous designs that you feel can be done in a new style. You should think of shapes, styles and who you are making the jewellery for. If it is unique then it will stand out, it is a skill in itself to successfully design jewellery and to meet the needs of whom you are making the jewellery for. This is integral to know as age and gender can account for jewellery suitability.

The second skill is a practical skill and that is learning how to cut wire. Jewellery wire cutters are sometimes called ‘flush cutters' and these are key jewellery making tools. The wire cutters should be perpendicular to the wire being cut. The cut should focus on the flat end of the wire. Flush cut wire cutters is a key jewellery tool, whereby the aim is to get the wire trimmed off as closely as possible to the piece of jewellery so the wire is as flat as possible. You need to be aware of the safety when cutting wire and this includes, holding both ends of the wire as you cut it, keep tools , especially flush cutters, out of reach of children.

Another skill is threading. It's important to use the strongest thread possible which is thick enough to match the bead hole. Threading is especially used for beading, a key tool to use in jewellery making, especially in making necklaces.

Another skill is soldering. Soldering is used mainly to join together metals to form a permanent bond. Soldering allows the creation of perfect jewellery for your own enjoyment or to sell. You need to use a heating torch and then once heated use a flux to seal the metal and clean its surface. Shears would cut the soldier into strips and tweezers help position your work.

The final skill is to know how to sell and market your creations. Advertising campaigns on social media could help, especially with new and unique designs. You need to make sure your product has a market. It is important therefore to research the market in terms of products, price and target customer. There are many people now selling jewellery online and this growing trend means a growing amount of competition.

Therefore, it is important to have in mind both practical and business considerations when making jewellery. It needs to be unique, use the right tools safely, but also be aware of who the specific jewellery is aimed for. If these considerations are taken in mind there should be no problems when making jewellery and using tools.

About the Author

Adam Hunter - E-commerce Marketing Manager of cooksongold.com. Cookson Precious Metals offer a choice of supplies from over 10,000 products including gold and silver wire, jewellery making findings, jewellery packaging, making jewellery,and other precious metal clay and art clay silver - gold, silver, platinum and palladium, fimo moulds and plus technical information for jewellers, jobbers, designer, craftsmen, artisans and students.