Hello

[shazza]

Hi, I’m looking at starting a hobby in jewellery making and I would love some tips on starting up, I have nothing at the moment. I would like to go into sterling silver jewellery too.

Anyone out there give me some pointers, where to buy my tools, products etc from. More so what will I actually need to get me started.

I’m looking forward to being part of a great forum.

[caeterle]

Hello shazza and welcome to the forum If you have any question around the boards, please don't hesitate to ask.

Two of the companies that are usually mentioned first here) are Rio Grande and Fire Mountain Gems, two of the large ones. They are located in the US, though, and from your spelling of "jewellery" I guess you are not from the US.
As postage has been increasing steadily everywhere, it will help to know where you are from.

What kind of jewelry do you want to start out with? There are so many techniques for which you need different things, so it would be helpful to know what it is you want to do. Does sterling silver jewelry mean silversmithing or silver wire? Do you want to do stringing, beading, wirework?

[shazza]

Hi caeterle,

I live in the UK.

I am looking at ear rings and bracelet making, using beads and small pedants.

Sterling silver is the type of metal, it’s genuine silver and not coated in any way. So yes silversmithing and also wire work.

[caeterle]

Okay.
Before Brexit and postage increases and all that, I got my sterling and fine silver wire from Wires.co.uk in Essex. It was the easiest for me as I also got all my copper wires from them. I have never been disappointed, BUT it has been a while, so I don't know how their prices compare to others nowadays.
I don't have a recommendation for pieces of silver, though, as I only work with wire and don't do any silversmithing.
They also have some tools.

Another British shop I have bought from before was Beads Direct, they also carry tools and other jewelry supplies, such as beads, findings, etc.

[shazza]

caeterle,

Thank you so much for your help. I will look at those sites

Has anyone purchased bulk from India for example, they have lots of online wholesale sites on the internet.

[DawninCal]

Hi and welcome, shazza!

I'm not much help with supplies as I live in the US (and have no experience purchasing from India), but if you want to work with wire, I'd suggest starting with copper first. Sterling silver is so expensive, you don't want to waste it by using it when just starting out. Once you feel that you've become somewhat proficient with copper wire, you could move on to silver. Although, a lot of us work almost exclusively with copper due to it's warm rich tones. Shiny copper is kind of bright, but when oxidized with a chemical called Liver of Sulfer, it develops a lovely patina.

If you do order silver, be sure to order dead soft rather than half hard. Half hard is quite stiff and since wire hardens (stiffens) as we work with it, you want to start with soft wire that is easy to manipulate. When looking at wire sizes, keep in mind that the higher the guage, the thinner the wire. For instance, 20g is much thinner than 16g. It seems like it should be the other way around, but it's not. I would recommend 26g (for wrapping/weaving), 20g as a good all around size, and 18g and 16g for when a sturdier base wire is needed. Of all the wire sizes, I use 26, 20 and 18 the most.

As far as tools go, you will want a pair of round nose pliers, flush cutters and chain nose pliers to start. And, perhaps a pair of bent nose, although I got along just fine without them for a very long time before finally buying a pair.

I would also highly suggest that you check out wire wrapped or wire weave jewelry tutorials on youtube. There are tons of them from beginner to advanced, they are free and they have loads of information that you will find helpful. The people that produce the video tutorials are very generous with their time and knowledge.

Once you get going and try different things, you'll have a much better idea of the kind of jewelry you want to create. I started out stringing beads and now work mostly with wire and resin.

Best of luck and if you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask! We would also love to see what you make; you can post your completed projects at our Show and Tell forum.



Dawn

[caeterle]

I have bought cabs from India once before, but as a beginner I wouldn't buy anything in bulk, no matter from which country.

[DawninCal]

That's a very good point, Cat. Start slow and work up as you go is very good advice.



Dawn

[shazza]

Hi all, after a day researching on what I’m looking at creating, I think I’m going to look at resin jewellery making. It looks really good and you can make some amazing stuff

[caeterle]

In that case, Dawn is your woman!