Anyone make jewelry?

[StoryDreamer]

I've really been wanting to make some jewelry. I have a few ideas of necklaces I want to design, maybe even a pony symbol or two to try to sculpt, but I wanted to know if anyone made jewelry and if they had any tips? 


I mainly want to attach certain charms on to jewelry, and maybe eventually join chain in between charms..


I know people here are ridiculously creative so I thought I'd ask!

[ashes]

The only thing I've ever made are earrings.  I think the main thing is to get good tools that feel comfortable in your hands (especially when making loops and such with the wire).

[kittybethy]

I dabble in jewelry making.

 Not a pro though

[creampuf]

Tips!

When you are first starting don't worry about buying more expensive gems, learn with simple glass or clearance items.

Be Patient

Buy a book or two that have the kind of styles you like and learn form their instructions.

Have fun

Good comfy tools are a must.

Never skimp on beading wire/tread. Fishing line may seem inexpensive and strong but the friction of the beads eats at it.

When shopping for pendants or charms online have a ruler and piece of paper next to you, mark the height and width using your ruler so you aren't surprised by the size when it comes in.

Wire wrapping takes some practice...buy some cheap galvanized wire for a hardware store at different gauges to get the feel. Usually you can get it for a couple bucks for a big spinal.

Pre-plan your pieces by laying out the materials and form a pattern after you have it the way you like it then begin the construction work.

When choosing metal wire gauges, smaller numbers mean fatter wire.

Make sure you count the weight of the charms when figuring out the tinsel strength you'll need.

When using jump ring always twist them apart never stretch open the circle. This leaves them weak and no longer circular.

Great sources on using wire and jump rings come from chain mail makers. I love chain mail myself but found my metal work got better when I learned to make it.

as for sculpting you'll want to find some tutorials and/or good books on them. Once you get the basic idea down designing your own creations is easier and more fun.

[starrypawz]

I've never done it but I've always wanted to play around with it.

[Chrissytree]

I've tried lots of different types of jewellery making over the past 14 years!  I started with cheap plastic beads and as my confidence grew I moved onto glass and other things.  I personally prefer hard headpins for plain beads on a bit of wire, they're a bit more tricky to bend but they won't bend when the piece is finished. 
I'd say before you splash out on books (amazon is usually cheaper than a bead shop btw) do a google search.  I found the wigjig university when I wanted to try out wire components and they have loads of useful info for free and I've found a lot of other techniques and info on shop's sites.

If you're adding charms to bracelets I think you'd be wise to learn how to do a wrapped loop... something I've never mastered.  It's a more secure way to attach things. 
It's also worth shopping around.  Sometimes there's a huge difference in prices of components, I was buying wire and found the exact same type in like 5 shops and there was a difference of £2 and £4.50!

If you've got any qs feel free to PM me

Here are a couple of links I've been using recently as to start making wire things, to jog my memory a bit and make my techniques better.

http://www.spellboundbead.co.uk/page/11/Techniques
http://www.wigjig.com/making-jewelry-with-beads.htm

[teresat]

Good jewelry supply sites:

www.firemountaingems.com
www.riogrande.com
www.fusionbeads.com

I've always found that going to a craft store like Michael's can be overwhelming.

The above sites also have great tutorials and design ideas.

[ZennaBug]

I have been known to dabble in jewelry making from time to time 

[kaoskat]

I can't wait to see what you come up with!

[StoryDreamer]

Thanks for the links and tips! 

I can't wait to see what I can come up with too. I have a lot of pony-inspired ideas. Maybe if I made something good I could sell it but honestly I'd love to just make stuff for myself.   

I don't really want to bead, but just attach links of chain and charms etc.    Which might keep my new hobby cheaper!

I hope to get to Michaels this weekend and start my first project.   Then I guess I'll besiege you with pictures soon enough.

An example of a style I like:

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/54551407

[Kiwi]

I've played with various crafts, but not really jewelry. Can't wait to see what you create.

[Pokestine]

wow this is pretty great, I was just going to come post something similar here. Thanks for the resources and advice everyone.

[melodys_angel]

I do^^

The best thing to do is experiment--thats how you learn Try new things and see where it takes you

Goodluck with it--its really fun once you get going