You don’t have to be an expert jeweler to make jewelry. Many folks enjoy handcrafting jewelry for themselves, friends and family, or even to sell. Take a quick look at Etsy and you can see just how popular crafting jeweler for profit might be.

For those of you already doing this, or are considering making jewelry for profit, I’d like to share a few ideas with you that you may find useful.



Unique is not enough

Let’s face it… all handcrafted jewelry is unique in its own way. The skill of the crafter, the mediums used, the techniques and “style” of the individual makes each and every piece a unique creation. In an ever widening market you need to look beyond this simple fact and create something that’s not just unique but that people can relate to on individual or personal level.

Emotional Appeal

Create pieces that will invoke an emotional response. The easiest means of doing this is through the use of color. Choose your colors carefully for what you are making. Consider what color(s) best describe what you are making. Most flowers for example, do not naturally occur in blue. While a blue daisy might be appealing to some (like me!) the majority of people aren’t going looking for one.

Appeal to the Senses

Look beyond the sense if sight when you are designing a piece. Yes, your jewelry needs to be visually appealing but don’t stop there. Consider all the senses… sight, smell, touch, sound, and yes… even taste. Ever see a “ring pop”? Let’s also not forget the 6th sense either.

Give it a purpose

Look beyond simply being beautiful. Make your jewelry to serve a purpose. There’s a reason some diamond rings are called “engagement” rings and others are called “wedding bands” or promise rings. A beaded necklace may be simply beautiful, but a beaded necklace that can also be used as a chain for sunglasses or eyeglasses has a purpose beyond simply being beautiful.

Create Collections

Follow the lead of many of the top jewelry designers and create entire collections. Multiple items of the same theme that can be used and/or worn separately or together AND display them that way. Pieces that serve multiple purposes as well. Clips that can not only be worn in the hair but that can be used to shorten a necklace, create a drop, or even be used as a lapel pin with other items within the collection.

The Medium: Regional, Local, Personal Appeal

Consider your medium. Using sand from a particular beach in a resin casting, bits of wood from an old steamer trunk, even the copper wire from an old jumper cable. Think about the medium you are using and the “audience” you wish to appeal to. Imagine making wire sculptures of antique cars out the copper wire from an old jumper cable. You just created an additional appeal with your medium.

Target the Niche

Find a particular niche and go after it! Birthstone jewelry is a classic example of this and which each of the things I listed above can make a big difference. Create a special shape, object or something different, each month with a dedicated color and emotional attachment, can appeal to more senses than sight, serves a purpose, easy to create collections, many “baby” related things to use as a medium, and definitely targets a niche.

Happy crafting!

Dave

I’ve been wanting leverback earrings for awhile now, and with the recent surge in metal prices, I had to look for other ways to get my earrings.

I was doing an eBay search one night and came upon a store, DIY Jewelry Parts, that sells — the name says it all– do-it-yourself jewelry parts. I started browsing and found snap tite leverback components in 14K yellow gold. I also found 6mm bezel dangle settings for round stones, perfect for the pair of 6mm garnets I had been saving. So I bought the leverback parts and the bezel settings.

The parts came in the mail a few days later and I got to work.

The snap tite settings were a cinch to use. You just lay your stones facedown on a flat surface (I laid my stones on some cotton padding for extra protection) and position the prongs over them. Gently push down til you hear the soft click. That’s it! Snap tite settings make it easy for you to make earrings, pendants and rings yourself by snapping gemstones into them.

The bezel settings were a bit more complicated. The bezels had four small tabs in the back to hold the stones in. The stones were placed into the setting from the back and I used my needle nose pliers to gently fold the tabs in to hold the stone. Since the bezel settings were dangles, I attached them to a pair of 14K gold-filled leverback earwires I had lying around, and I had dangly leverback earrings!

You can get these DIY jewelry parts from eBay vendor DIY-jewelry-parts, Fire Mountain Gems, or Jewelry Television.

Making jewelry will be a cinch when you use memory wire. What is it? Memory wire is a thin, rigid, tempered stainless steel wire that comes in a coil and is used as a beading medium. It resists corrosion AND tarnish, and the magical part is it’ll snap right back to its original form once expanded and released (hence the name; it remembers its shape).

They come in 3 kinds, allowing you to make necklaces, bracelets and rings that are one-size-fits-all. If you are planning on working with memory wire, you should probably invest in a pair of memory wire shears. They are designed to give your wire a smooth cut. Never ever use regular wire cutters to cut memory wire; I’ve had to learn the hard way that the wire will only be slightly dented and the blades on the wire cutters will be chipped.

You could use your round-nose pliers to bend the ends into loops, but it could be a bit difficult. Often times the wire will slip from your pliers and you’ll end up flinging beads all over the room, as well as a few curses. Another solution is using memory wire end caps to finish off your jewelry. They are tiny metal balls with a hole in one side. Put a dab of super glue or epoxy into the hole and insert your wire after you’re finished adding the beads or making your jewelry. Let dry for an hour and you’re all done!

You can get memory wire at great sites like Fire Mountain Gems.

I’m a sucker for flea markets and antique shows. I always go when there’s one in town, and you’ll always find me happily rummaging among bins and heaps of old jewelry. I find some of the most gorgeous and cheap beads that way. There’s also a lot of great broken vintage jewelry that could be salvaged and turned into new creations. Next time you see a flea market in your area, stop by and see what you find.

I always cringe when I read about or hear about needle-nose pliers used to flatten and secure crimp beads. That works in an emergency, but if you want your jewelry to look as professional and polished as possible, try using crimping pliers. They give the crimp beads a smoother look by rounding them out, and the wearer won’t be poked and scratched by any sharp edges. Crimp beads are excellent when you want to make beads look like they’re floating.

I adore my crimping pliers. Before you use them, get to know them first. Hold them up with the handles together and look at the nose. There’ll be two holes there. The first is an oval shape and the other hole is bean shaped. Some will say it’s an oval with a dip; it’s a bean shape to me. Go ahead, check it out.

To use your pliers, slip the crimp bead onto your wire or thread. Put on a clasp or end piece, and then loop the end of the wire back into the crimp bead. Position the bead and wires/thread in the bean shaped hole and close the pliers around the bead. You’ll see that your crimp bead is now indented or curled. To secure the bead onto the wire, position it sideways in the first oval hole, and gently flatten the curled ends together so they meet. Be careful not to squeeze too hard or you’ll end up breaking your crimp and then you’ll have to start all over. Also make sure you don’t crimp too closely to other beads or they’ll break if the pliers close around them.

Whenever I want to add an extra sparkle to my crystal jewelry designs, I use AB crystals. “AB” stands for Aurora Borealis, and it’s a light rainbow coating that’s applied to a crystal bead to give it a color-changing effect when you move. The coating could be applied to any color crystal. On a jet black crystal, the rainbow effect is more intense.

The 3mm AB crystals that were hand-sewn onto the edge of my wedding veil….by me…all 1275 of them.

Whenever I get a gift that has a ribbon as part of the packaging, I always save the ribbon. There are tons of pretty types and widths of ribbons out there and they come in a pretty array of colors. Satin, silk, velvet, lace, and chiffon ribbons, just to name a few, all make wonderful ribbon jewelry!

All you need is your desired length of ribbon, two crimp end pieces, a clasp, and your tools. You can attach crystals or string a pendant onto your ribbon before crimping the end pieces and adding the clasp. Or you can embellish the length of it using bead embroidery with your favorite beads and some gold or silver metallic thread. You can also just wear the ribbon, plain or embellished, around your neck and secure with a jaunty bow at the side of your neck.

Over the years, I’ve accumulated quite a few left over beads and components from all the jewelry I’ve made. I hardly ever throw away beads or components unless they’re cracked or broken and can’t be reused. What to do with all the odd pieces? Make more jewelry from it! Jewelry doesn’t always have to match. Just let your imagination run wild. The pieces will look unique and colorful, and they will practically go with everything in your wardrobe.

Got a large jewelry order to fill? If your order involves making necklaces and bracelets for different wrist and neck sizes, save yourself some time and hassle by making the jewelry adjustable!

2″ extenders will do the trick. I usually make my necklaces 17″ long and my bracelets 7.5″ long. I can accommodate most neck and wrist sizes by adding an extender.

Often when I’m making wedding jewelry, I make jewelry for the elderly relatives of the bridal party as well. We all know how difficult clasps can be for the elderly. When finishing off a necklace or bracelet, consider using a toggle clasp instead of the usual lobster or trigger clasp. Toggles will usually allow the wearer to fasten their necklace or bracelet themselves without an extra set of hands.

To make things even easier, try using magnetic clasps. Fastening necklaces and bracelets will then become effortless. To unclasp, slide the ends of the clasp in opposite directions; never pull because the jewelry will break. Artbeads.com carries magnetic clasps in 14K gold-filled and sterling silver. Just make sure the intended wearer does not have a pacemaker if you plan to use them in your jewelry designs.