Jewelry Making Professor: How To Tutorials, Free Beginner Courses

Vintage Beads and Filigree Beads from Kabela Design

Eri — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:49:49 +0000

I recently introduced both vintage beads and filigree beads videos showing how to make beautiful jewelry pieces using components from Kabela Design.

I have been working with these beads and I’m just amazed how easy they are to work with and how beautiful the final product is.

They are also so versatile so you can add other things to them like beautiful swarovski crystals.

I even bead weaved some 3mm bicones around a beautiful vintage piece and created a lovely pendant.

I’m now addicted to these beads!

I recommend that you head over to Kabela and give these a shot if you haven’t already.

They are truly remarkable!

Good Jewelry Making Demands Quality Jewelry Beads

Eri — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:07:09 +0000

When it comes to jewelry and jewelry making then of course jewelry beads are going to be of the utmost importance. For beginners it seems like it doesn’t matter what the bead is as long as it’s pretty and can easily be strung onto a thread.

This is the way that all novice jewelry hobbyists start out. It doesn’t take long though before their interest peaks and they want to know more about the various types of jewelry beads and this opens up a whole new world.

If you are new to jewelry making here is guide to help you with various jewelry beads that are going to give you totally different looks even if you were to string them in identical ways.

Glass jewelry beads

These are the ones that seem to catch the eye of the novice the most quickly. One is because the colors of the glass when they are opaque are magnificent. There is such a large selection and they are relatively inexpensive. These make the perfect choice when first staring out in jewelry making. There are many variations that come into this category. For example, you can get cat’s eye or hand blown. So the jewelry that can be designed from these is spectacular. The shapes shouldn’t be overlooked either, as that can make a total difference to the overall look of the finished piece.

Precious metal jewelry beads

In the beginning these mediums can be a little intimidating. Often the novice jewelry maker feels that these beads are only reserved for the advanced craftsperson. This is not the case at all. Even the beginner can make exceptional looking jewelry pieces with these such as single or double strand necklaces or bracelets.

Shell jewelry beads

These take a little more getting used to but are just as easy to work with. Their texture and shape is a little different, so in some cases standard jewelry patterns may not work as well. As one gets used to jewelry making though they soon learn to use combinations such as the flat type shell jewelry beads followed with a round glass bead for example, as a filler.

Wooden jewelry beads

In the beginning some jewelry crafts people overlook the exquisiteness of the wood jewelry beads. With so many African styles becoming available though they are rapidly gaining in popularity. Jewelry that is made of the wooden jewelry beads is becoming a hot fashion statement. So any individual that is hoping to sell their completed pieces will certainly want a good selection of jewelry pieces made with the wooden beads.

It is important to start to build your jewelry beads inventory up by making sure you have a good selection. That doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy tons of beads just to get started. You will find many times that you can buy assorted kits of jewelry beads. One thing that is very important however is that you buy quality beads. If you want to make quality jewelry then it demands well made materials, and this means good quality jewelry beads.

Using Silver in Your Jewelry Making

Eri — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:30:31 +0000

Often people will purchase silver jewelry feeling that it is a good alternative to gold and perhaps in many cases less expensive. Although good quality silver jewelry is not cheap, a piece of jewelry made with silver would likely be less expensive than its gold counterpart. Silver like gold has been around for centuries and is used in making jewelry to the same degree gold is.

There are different qualities of silver but that which one classes as almost pure or being 99.9 pure is called fine silver, however it is not the best for silver jewelry aside from the cost. The most common form of silver jewelry is sterling silver. This usually has a silver content of at least 92.5%.

Silver needs to be mixed with another medium or alloy to strengthen it. The most common is copper. Interestingly although copper has such a distinct color it does not seem to affect the color of silver as much. It is the perfect choice for strengthening the silver to make it appropriate for silver jewelry making.

When it comes to your home jewelry making ideally once you have perfected your technique you are going to want to use better quality materials to enhance your work. The silver jewelry you make should be of the best quality that you can afford. It’s fruitless to design exquisite jewelry using fine stones and then cheat the piece with inferior silver.

One thing that you may want to do if you are serious about your jewelry making is educate yourself on the various types of metals that are used in the industry. By having some knowledge you can make informed decisions when purchasing your jewelry supplies, often referred to as findings.

If you do this in addition to finding a trustworthy wholesale supplier of jewelry findings then you will feel confident that when you are making your purchases you are getting good quality.

One of the things you will learn is that most often silver jewelry is plated. This means it is covered with another type of alloy or material to prevent the silver from tarnishing.

Puffy Heart Tutorial: For Free

Eri — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:51:06 +0000

The Puffy Heart is a very challenging beading pattern, but when made properly the result is stunning.

I am making my puffy heart tutorial on video free for viewing for a limited time.

If you have struggled with puffy heart instructions on paper, then this video was made for you.

I take you through the process step by step.

You can access the video at this link:

Puffy Heart Tutorial

Good luck and Enjoy!

Jewelry Making Video: Cosmos Flower Bracelet

Eri — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:55:50 +0000

Here is a preview of a new jewelry making class I created called Cosmos Flower Bracelet.

This is a beginner level class. Some bead stringing experience should be enough.

You can make a very cute bracelet using pastel color seed beads, or create something more suitable for adults by trying different darker color beads.

You can access the full video at this link:

Cosmos Flower Bracelet

To learn how to access all of our online jewelry making classes please click this link:

Online Jewelry Making Classes

Enjoy the preview!

Turn Your Jewelry Making into a Small Business

Eri — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:26:11 +0000

For most people, jewelry making starts off as nothing more than a hobby however it can quickly turn into a potential money making business if you have time to spare and the inclination. Hand made jewelry is always popular and if you can make items that have a certain uniqueness to them they are bound to sell well.

Jewelry making as a hobby

Taking jewelry making up as a hobby is a great way to see if you have a talent for it before spending big money on loads of supplies. You can try your hand at different types of jewelry e.g. necklaces, earrings, bracelets, broaches etc. and various styles for very little outlay in the first instance.

By asking the opinions of friends and family members you can get a useful idea of how good you are at jewelry making…and whether it is worth you considering selling your products either locally or on the internet. You can wear the items you make and see if they attract attention, or make special items as little gifts for loved ones. You’ll quickly discover if you have a hidden talent and the makings of a small business.

Jewelry making as a business

There are various ways to turn your jewelry making hobby into a successful business. The first would be to make individual pieces of jewelry for friends, family members, work colleagues etc. for the cost of the materials and no more. You need to develop a customer base early on so that word of mouth can take over and advertise your talents.

In addition to selling your products to people close to you, you can also list them on internet auction sites and jewelry making websites or you can even rent a cart for a weekend in your local shopping mall. In order to do this you’ll need to have a good stock of already-made jewelry items so that you have pieces to hand when required.

A few helpful tips for jewelry makers

Regardless of whether you decide to make jewelry as a hobby or to sell you should get into the habit of photographing your finished pieces. These photos can then act as a reminder of everything you’ve ever made and as a portfolio to show any potential customers…even if you don’t initially think of them as customers.

Another good tip with regards to jewelry making is to try making as many different types and styles of jewelry as you can early on. You’ll probably find you have a penchant for one or two types of jewelry and it might help to focus on them if you are thinking of starting a small business.

Most novice jewelry makers use patterns and project ideas from the internet to start with and this is a great way of learning the basics. Once you have a few projects finished though it might be worth trying your own ideas – even if they are just variations of items you’ve already made.

The sooner you start using your own imagination the sooner you’ll start adding personality and individuality into your jewelry…and it is this individuality that people are most willing to pay for.

Finding Online Jewelry Making Instructions

Eri — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:43:56 +0000

Online jewelry making instructions are incredibly easy to find…in fact you’d be hard pushed to find a jewelry making website that doesn’t feature at least one project complete with instructions that are free to use. Some sets of instructions are much more detailed and easier to understand than others though and it is this detailed type that you want to look out for whenever possible.

Finding online jewelry making instructions

The easiest way to find good jewelry making instructions is to do a quick internet search. Typing a generic phrase such as ‘jewelry making instructions’ will provide you with thousands of websites, each of which contains some form of instruction for making some type of jewelry. It might not be the type or style of jewelry you’re interested in though, and so it will help to narrow your search with a more specific key phrase.

Decide what type of jewelry making instructions you’re looking for e.g. necklace, bracelet, earrings, broach etc. and work from there. If you can narrow the search even further by adding what type of beads you’re using or what style of jewelry you want to produce then this will make the search result even more relevant to you.

What to look for with regards to online jewelry making instructions

As mentioned above some sets of instructions for making jewelry are much better than others. The more detailed and precise the written instructions are the easier you will find them to follow. Simple jewelry projects will only normally require a photo of the finished piece and a numbered list of instructions for you to be able to make the item.

More intricate pieces of jewelry however may require further explanation of the instructions, and this is often done in any of the following ways:

1) With 3D diagrams produced by specialist computer software,
2) With hand drawn diagrams, if the person writing the instructions can do so,
3) With step by step photos so you can see how the piece progresses,
4) With a short video and accompanying commentary.

Any of these additional features add to the usability of a set of online jewelry making instructions and are therefore a big added bonus.

Other things to look for with regards to jewelry making instructions include a list of equipment and supplies you’ll need, a difficulty rating for the piece of jewelry and an estimated time for making the item. The last two features aren’t always included however an equipment and supply list should be there.

In conclusion

The usability of online jewelry making instructions differs hugely from one website to another…an unfortunate fact that makes some beautiful pieces of jewelry virtually impossible to make. The only way to find the good instruction lists is to search for them, but don’t worry – most are easily understood and followed, even by those who are just starting out in the fun-packed world of jewelry making.

Filigree Beads and Gilders Paste

Eri — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 19:44:53 +0000

Here is my final video for now showing different things you can do with filigree beads from Kabela Design.

In this video, Gina Galli shows you how to use a very cool substance called Gilders Paste to enhance the appearance of your filigree pieces.

Using different colors of Gilders Paste can help you create some very interesting pieces.

As Gina does in the video, just play around and experiment with different colors until you find your favorites.

You can get Gilders Paste and other filigree beads components at Kabela Design’s website by clicking on this link: Filigree Beads

Enjoy!

Filigree Jewelry: How to Attach Filigree Components

Eri — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:52:18 +0000

There are so many beautiful filigree pieces from Kabela Design, that it can be overwhelming deciding how to use them.

One simple technique is to simply make a hole in a filigree component so that you can attach it to other components using, for example, jump rings.

This video shows you how to make a hole in a filigree piece.

Enjoy!

Filigree Jewelry: Crystal Settings

Eri — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:42:07 +0000

Below is a video showing how to use a beautiful swarovski crystal bead with a filigree setting piece from Kabela Design.

Again, it is so easy to bring two separate components together in one piece and make a piece of jewelry that is truly fantastic!

Enjoy the video!