Basic Jewelry Making

One of the ancient crafts of the world that has made a quiet comeback but is doing roaring business is jewelry making/designing. It used to be a flourishing craft/art in the golden days of bygone eras.

In contemporary times many people are returning to this unique creative field and taking it up as a hobby or turning to it as a serious profession after honing and sharpening their skills and learning the techniques of jewelry making from jewelry designing institutes.

Those who take up jewelry designing as a hobby or as a means of livelihood are usually seeking a vent/outlet through which they can give expression to their creative restlessness.

Jewelry making is a viable and lucrative career option and jewelry designers are slowly but surely emerging from their shroud of oblivion and making their mark in a field which can easily be compared to fine arts in terms of skill and artistry that are required.

Thanks to a shift in media focus, Jewelry designers are coming under the limelight and the day is not far when jewelry designing will be as glamorous and profitable and famous a profession as fashion/apparel designing.

If you are bristling with creativity, have an artistic flair and an eye for meticulous detail coupled with passion and aesthetic sensibility, jewelry designing should be easy for you.

Instead of starting off with precious metals and precious/semi precious stones, you should begin with the creation of simple pieces with beads, sea shells, corals, flowers etc. You can take tips and look up the patterns/designs/styles from online jewelry designing sites which can be found in abundance. If you are more serious, you can take the help of instructional videos or enroll in online jewelry designing courses to fine tune your skill and techniques.

Handcrafted jewelry is unique and different from run of the mill jewelry, add a touch of class and elegance to your attire and personality and make you stand out in a crowd. Everybody would go wow if you turn up in a party in your own handmade jewelry made of beads and corals and you will be the cynosure of all eyes.

There are wide varieties of beads available in the market which come in different shapes, sizes and colors as well as materials and you can make use of beading wire to string the beads together and create necklaces, earrings, bracelets, ornamental head gear, bangles , pendants and what not.

If you try, you can make many exquisite pieces of jewelry in eye catching unique designs and patterns that will earn you accolades and you can also customize the look of your handcrafted jewelry to suit your mood or outfit.

How much does a jewelry designer earn?

I know this question was bound to come up and from whatever I know about this field, a skilled jewelry designer with more than 5 years of experience can earn $7200 per month. But remuneration often depends on the employer and if you are really creative and can create a celeb fan base, only the sky will be the limit for your earnings. And who knows, you might very well be the Oscar de la Renta of the jewelry making world!

Making Paper Jewelry

Gold prices are sky rocketing every day and passing out of bounds for most. Platinum jewelry looks divine and costs an astronomical amount as well. Since platinum is more expensive than gold, we can only hope to admire platinum designs in shop windows and heave sighs of envy.

Sterling silver jewelry is elegant but quite pricey as well. So what is your option? Giving up wearing jewelry or adding to your jewelry collection altogether? No way. I will provide you with a better solution that will bail you out of your jewelry woes.

Fashion jewelry or costume jewelry made out of innovative materials like wood, paper, buttons, beads, cubic zirconium and costing a pittance compared to precious metal jewelry is the answer to your prayer.

Paper Jewelry

Paper jewelry looks quaint, belongs to the genre of junk jewelry and is an ideal accessory for the boho-chic look. Besides it is dirt cheap. But it can lift the look of your bohemian gypsy skirt in a jiffy. Paper fashion jewelry should be protected from getting wet at all costs and you should put it away carefully and wipe it dry after taking it off.

See to it that you don’t sweat a lot or the sweat doesn’t stick to the paper jewelry. Paper jewelry can cost as little as $1 and yet make you the centre of attraction because of its exotic and different appeal.

Quaint but eye catching rings, pendants, necklaces, brooch, bracelets, earrings in pretty floral/planetary/animal designs can be created out of recycled newspaper, old recycled colorful magazines, recycled paper grocery bag, vintage Victorian and antique postcards, silk screened Japanese Chiyogami paper, Katazome shi Japanese paper etc.

Your paper jewelry can be encrusted with jasper beads in different colors, obsidian beads, sterling silver beads, sapphire swarovski crystals, and other such nick nacks. The main thing is to be creative and let your imagination run wild.

If you are treasure hunting for artistic patterned painted paper for creating innovative offbeat costume jewelry, I will suggest the gorgeously patterned papers from Nepal and Japan.

Japanese Paper Jewelry

The incredible patterns found on Chiyogami have drawn their inspiration from kimono textile motifs and feature breathtakingly beautiful lush floral motifs, scarlet cherry blossom motifs, vines and bamboos and shimmering waves patterns, birds and insects prints, geometric patterns and abstract motifs etc.

Many of the Japanese papers feature patterns of plum blossoms, lotus, lilies, hibiscus, birds like cranes – aviary embodiment and metaphor of good fortune, bountiful long life and elegant grace. Thus Japanese paper jewelry is worth investing in because of their symbolic values.

Creating paper jewelry according to the instructions given in various free websites and e-books will be like child’s play for you. 

Making Button Jewelry

If you are sick and tired of run of the mill sleek and light weight precious metal jewelry and want to try out some thing adventurous and out of the box, button jewelry might just be the right thing for you. Button jewelry is, well, made of buttons, as the name distinctly suggests.

Button Jewelry

It is very cheap, inexpensive, light weight, easy on the pocket and soothing to the eyes, unique, innovative, creative and perfect for party wear. It can be teamed up with casual day wear, party wear, and cocktail evening gowns and thus versatility is its other USP along with affordability.

The designs are breathtakingly beautiful and stunning and will make you the cynosure of all eyes if you sport a button jewelry creation, either handcrafted by you according to instructions given in free jewelry designing websites or purchased from the countless online jewelry stores. If you want to make them yourself, you will find that it is very easy and like child’s play.

Buttons can be utilized to create necklaces, earrings, bracelets, pins, brooches, and cufflinks. There are online stores which sell antique Victorian button jewelry and 19^th century curiosities which will inspire admiring glances and hushed conversations. The meticulous artistry featured on these Victorian era button jewelry will leave everybody spellbound for you will look resplendent in a slice of history come alive.

Antique Victorian Button Jewelry

Antique Victorian button jewelry can feature designs like perfume caskets or bunch of grapes on buttons made of ivaroid, 19^th century metal, mother of pearl, ornate black glass, colorful shell and ivory, pewter, 19^th century tinted metal with picture engraved on it, art deco designs, Czech glass, brass, bakelite, glass, small ocean pearls, unstruck dice, crystal, glass, rhinestone, mixed metals, celluloid, sea shells, vegetable ivory, oxidized silver and ornate metal.

There can be golden or silver or bronze accents on the buttons. Often the buttons are ensconced in sterling silver pendants and in most cases the buttons are in eye catching patterns and bright colors like blue, green, yellow, orange, red, peach, black, pink etc.

Button jewelry is not very difficult to make and you can take the help of BEAD AND BUTTON MAGAZINE for reference, patterns, designs, styles and techniques. There are also websites and e-books and e-magazines galore which contain instructions, techniques, step by step well illustrated guidelines for creating button jewelry and the best part is that these websites are absolutely free.

Let your creative juices flow and unleash the artist inside you by crafting your own button jewelry.