Jewelry Making Lessons

making sterling silver jewelry: materials, tools, equipment? what do i need?
i really want to start making sterling silver jewelry at home. i want it to be sort of rough and original, not perfect. i’ve looked into sterling silver wire, sheets, and PMC (precious metal clay). i’m not sure what’s best to use. i don’t have a kiln though and i’m not sure if i can afford one (if you have one to recommend that would be great). i have a 70 watt old hand-held torch and an old 100 watt hand-held. they both just plug into the wall (not quite sure how they work). but i thought that i might be able to use that to melt PMC and solder/ melt things together using that. i need help deciding what materials and/or what additional tools or torches i need to get. also, any good sources for wire, sheets, and PMC. i wish to be able to melt down metal into shapes using molds and such, but i’m not sure if i’m ready for that, so i figured shaping and melting PMC might be my best option. ANY help or advice is welcome! Thanks!
Great advice!! thanks so much! any suggestions on brands of torches i should get? there’s so many varieties and options. i’ve looked at 8-in-1 gas soldering iron and torch combo. thought this might be a good option but im really not sure what will get hot enough….

Okay, for a torch, you need something that actually makes fire. If it plugs into the wall, it’s probably not going to get hot enough. You’ll want a gas torch to do it right. You’ll also want one with a small tip for soldering so you can have some degree of precision. I use an acetylene air system, which is pretty hardcore for the beginner, but quite reliable. Supposedly you can torch fire PMC, so you don’t have to have a kiln. I strongly advise taking a class or three in jewelry/metalsmithing, as there is a lot of room for error in soldering and casting and mistakes get very expensive very fast. I would practice using copper or bronze first. PMC isn’t as prone to dangerous issues (at least to my knowledge), so it’s a fairly safe starting place if you lack money or a place to take classes. Rio Grande is probably the easiest source (they have everything you need), but they do supply only to the industry, so you may have a bit of trouble. Of course, if you’re a student or jewelry professional (and I think you’d be the former) there shouldn’t be a problem. Other sources: Hoover and Strong (metals), Contenti (tools)

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where do I find a good online beginners beaded jewelry making course?
I want to find a good online course for making beaded jewerly. All I ever find, however, is resources for buying the supplies. If an online course isn’t available, I need a good beginners instruction dvd, not book, as I need it to be as user friendly as possible, and books just aren’t, or at least I haven’t found one. Books just show you patterns and give instructions on how to make them. I know nothing and need to start from scatch. Any help out there would be greatly appreciated.

I don’t know of any on-line courses but if you have access to the DIY network,they have a program called jewelry making that would be helpful. You can also go to their website www.diynetwork.com to see some instructions and possibly videos from the show. If there is a Michael’s or Hobby Lobby near you,they may offer a one evening course for beginners. The basic things you need to know: get a pair of round nose jewelry pliers, chain nose jewelry pliers, a crimping tool and a jewelry wire cutter. Other basic supplies are tiger tail ( a stainless steel cable jewelry wire for stringing that is covered with clear vinyl and crimping tubes or beads. These are what holds the ends of the wire on the clasp and prevents your beads from slipping off. It took me awhile to find out about tiger tail and crimp beads so you are that much farther ahead. Once you learn how to crimp the first end of the stringing wire to the clasp,you just string beads on in a pattern you like then repeat the crimping attachment on the other part of the clasp. This is a craft that you learn from doing and the more you do,the better you will get.

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How do I get my jewelry designs manufactured?
I make a lot of handmade jewelry and I also have designs for jewelry but no way to produce them due to lack of materials and equipment needed. What companies provide services for manufacturing and casting jewelry? I would like to send them my designs and have them produce it. I have done some research online, but I did not really find what I was looking for. Thanks!

Check the Ganoksin site (directory and forum therein) for manufacturing and casing services in your area: http://www.ganoksin.com
Another good place to try is the MJSA site (Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America) at http://www.mjsa.org
Good luck!
Sarit Designs – Unique Handcrafted Jewelry
http://sarit-jewelry.com

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Where is a good place to find beads and materials for making jewelry at a good price?
I am going to start making jewelry and I want to find the best possible price for beads, findings, and tools that I can. I have looked on eBay and a couple of websites. I’d like to maybe go to a wholesale place. Any ideas?

Here’s wishing good luck for you business adventure.

http://www.sunshinecrafts.com/

http://www.auntiesbeads.com/Category.aspx?ID=b3f02c11-ddfc-4671-81c6-d9d0857a3b6f

And a quick search for you:

http://aolsearch.aol.com/aol/search?encquery=a157c562f5d20b75fe23a05b57babba0041ee303bbf7940d&invocationType=keyword_rollover&ie=UTF-8

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Exporting from India?
My design group and I are looking to export raw human hair and jewelry from India. We are looking to travel asap and I would like any ideas possible on where we may start looking for manufacutures and exporters from India. Serious resposes please. Must be willing to back up claims with paper trail. Thank for any and all help.

surely you mean IMPORT from india….

You should ensure your supplier is a legitsupplier

real human hair is often cut of womens heads in force in developing countrys

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Can anyone recommend where I can get quality jewelry making tools?
I have just decided to begin jewelry making and need some help in finding a great toolkit…something that is organized with all the tools that I would need to start and advance. Any ideas on where I can purchase one?

Depending where you live, if you live in Ohio or Pa, a great place is Pat Catans, We also have a store called Jo Ann Fabrics, I don’t know if you have that store where you live but they also sell the 3 in 1 tool( it looks like pliers that cuts wire, bends wire and crimps wire). that would be needed to make jewerly. Plus you will need the beads, earrings hooks and the rods to attach the beads to. Also check in any crafts store. They should have them as well. Hope this helps

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What is the best/cheapest way to buy jewelry making supplies in bulk?
I am becoming pretty good at making jewelry, and I would like to start making things to sell. But in order to do so, I need bulk supplies, like clasps, jump rings, charms, etc. What’s the cheapest way to purchase in bulk? Websites, stores, whatever–I’ll take all advice! :)

Check the Jewelry Supply Directory for online suppliers: http://jewelrysupplydirectory.com/
If you are looking for silver and gold supplies, Pasternak Findings is recommended: http://www.pasternakfindings.com/
Good Luck!
Sarit Designs – Unique Handcrafted Jewelry
http://sarit-jewelry.com

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Do they make actual jewelry-making kits for tweens?
Our shop got its Angel Tree kids’ tags today, and I noticed several of the girls mentioned “jewelry-making kits.” Do they make such a thing that already has all the pieces and is geared toward 10-13 year old girls? Where would I find something like that? Thanks!

Yeah, they do. You can go to any local store, i.e., Target or Walmart and go to the toy or arts and crafts section, they have them there. Or if you want more variety, try going to an arts and crafts store, like Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, or JoAnn.

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where can I buy materials for resin jewelry making here in the Philippines?
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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Where can I buy materials for resin jewelry making here in the Philippines?
I’m looking for a store where I can find materials for resin jewelry making such as molds, mold release and the like.
Thanks.

Often you can find supplies for making resin jewelry at craft stores, art supply stores, and sometime hobby stores, as well as finding craft-quality epoxy resin at hardware stores…don’t polyester resins there though–won’t be craft quality.

If you want more than a few molds, or a few types of clear resin and brands of each though, you’ll probably want to go online:

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=craft+clear+resin+supplies+Philippines

You might also want to check out the info I have on this page at my site re resins–using them, brands, tutorials, examples, etc:

http://glassattic.com/polymer/other_materials.htm

And you might want to read some of my previous answers about resin here at YA for some summarized info in these questions:

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

releases and molds especially:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100206091500AA7eXFv

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