Basic Materials and Tools

You can start making jewellery with just a few basic tools and materials.

Here is what you will need:

Pliers

There are a lot of specialist pliers and tools for making jewellery, however you can get started with just three basic items; Round nose Pliers, Flat nose Pliers, and wire cutters.

With these three you will be able to manipulate wire, open and close jump rings, and attach fastenings to your creations.

Beads

There is endless choice when it comes to beads!  From acrylic to pearls, handmade glass to papier-mâché; you can make them yourself or buy them from any craft supplier.

To start with I’d recommend looking for a selection of small beads and a few larger focal beads. 

Use the smaller beads to fill the space between your main beads, creating texture and balance to your creation.

Know your beads:

Rocailles – These are also known as “seed” or “spacer” beads.  They can vary in size from around 1mm to 5mm.  (These are the round beads in the picture.)

Bugles – Also used as “spacer” beads, these are long thin tube shaped beads.  (See the gold and blue beads in the picture.)

Stringing materials

What you use to string your beads depends entirely on what look you want to go for!  As you can see from the picture, there are a whole host of materials available.  If you want to start in a hurry, have a look in your sewing box and find some embroidery thread or elastic!

Clear nylon is perfect to make “floating” necklaces.  “Tiger tail” is a nylon coated wire which is good for hanging heavier beads on and keeping a stiffer shape, however if you bend harshly it can kink.  (Softflex and Beadalon are brands of nylon coated wire which apparently don’t have this kinking problem – I haven’t tried them out yet though, so I’ll let you know when I do.)

Rattail is a silky cord which is often used in knotting projects.

Waxed cotton, leather and suede and are excellent choices for where you want some colour from the stringing material to show through – for example if you are making a simple pendent.

Wires can be twisted and bent into shape.  Memory wire holds its shape – so you don’t need fastenings to use it.  (However you will need special pliers to cut it!)

Have a look around for what suits your style best!

Wires 

You will find many different types of wire to use.  Most jewellery is made from "half hard" wire.

Wire can be measured in gauges or millimetres.  The higher the gauge number, the thinner the wire.  I would recommend with getting two to three different thickness of the same colour wire if you are interested in wire techniques, as this will allow you to experiment.  Plain copper wire is the cheapest for practising with, but it may be fun to also get some coloured "craft wire"!

  

Findings

Essential to making your jewellery!

Clasps

Clasps can come in many forms, plain or decorative.  For starting out I’d recommend lobster claw or trigger clasps, as these are sturdy and versatile for many projects.

Trigger or "lobster claw" clasps in the bottom left corner.

Jump Rings

These are wire rings that come in a variety of sizes and colours (and shapes too, they don’t have to be a circle!)

You will use these for attaching dangles, clasps, and hooking clasps onto to close your pieces.

Crimp beads

These are special beads which you can squash onto your threading material to attach a clasp.  If you are using wire, you won’t need these as the jump rings can be attached directly to the wire.  For anything else these will stop your beads falling off!

You can get special pliers to change the shape of the crimps.  (More on that later!) but for now you can simply use your flat nose pliers to squash them on.

Thread a crimp bead, loop your stringing material back around and back through the crimp and then squeeze closed with pliers.

Calotte crimps

These will give an end to your ribbons, cotton or other materials.  You can also use them on wire.

Basic Calottes can be pressed on with flat nose pliers

Clam style calottes allow you to thread the stringing material through a small hole and then close it over to hide knotted ends or crimp beads.

Head and Eye Pins

These are used to make dangles and drops.

Earring Hooks

For if you want to make earrings!  

Beading Tray
Helps you to make designs without your beads rolling off everywhere!
This is a very basic one that came in a jewellery making kit - you can get much better ones with various measurements on them for helping you to space out the beads and create the stringing length you want.